Have you ever heard the expression, “once in a blue moon?” It is often used to describe something that doesn’t happen very often. Some people may look for a moon that is actually the color blue, although that is an extremely rare occurrence. What actually occurs on a blue moon is in astronomical phenomena in which a full moon occurs twice in the same month. Since a full moon takes place every 29 days, it doesn’t happen very frequently.
Every once in a while, things line up that catch our attention and I think that this is one of those instances. Halloween, which is always on 31 October, is actually going to be on the same night as a blue moon this year. Blue moons only occur about once every 2 1/2 or 3 years according to NASA, so the next time that this is going to take place is 2039.
Of course, if you do happen to celebrate Halloween and are looking forward to the blue moon event, you might just have to celebrate it at home this year. There may be some parties taking place, but the pandemic is limiting how many people can get together and keeping us at a distance. It is also likely that most trick-or-treat nights are going to be canceled in the United States and elsewhere where the holiday is celebrated throughout the world. At least we have 2039 to look forward to.