PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Who’s ready for another full moon? Not only are we starting a new month, but the very first day of the month is offering up the first full moon.
Our first full moon of the month is the Harvest Moon. Although it has looked like a full moon the last day or so, it will be on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 2:05 p.m. We should have a nice clear view to check it out.
The full moon that occurs closest to the first day of autumn is known as the Harvest Moon. This year, the autumnal equinox was on Sept. 22. Depending on the year, the Harvest Moon can fall before or after the autumnal equinox which arrives annually on or near Sept. 22.
If you’re interested in where you can see the moon, here is a diagram that you can follow. As the moon passes the meridian, you should be able to look south in the Portland sky and see that just west of the Aquarius constellation.
Now for a brief tease for the next full moon this month. It will occur on Halloween, Oct. 31, 2020, at 7:49 a.m. and will be named the Hunter’s Moon. Halloween is a “cross-quarter” day, a waymarker for halfway between the equinox and solstice.
Typically, the second of two full moons to occur in a single calendar month is nicknamed a Blue Moon. When was the last time we had two full moons in a single calendar month? It was on March 31, 2018.
A Blue Moon is usually explained as a second full moon in a month and can occur every three to four years when the date for one full moon falls on or near the beginning of a calendar month so that the following full moon comes before the end of the same month.
Now that we know the meaning of a Blue Moon, what about in meteorology? What would cause the appearance of a blue moon? The moon can also have a bluish color on very cold winter nights when ice crystals in the air form a ring around the moon. The scattering of moonlight by smoke particles can also cause a blue moon. The red end of the spectrum is scattered more than the blue end of the spectrum, which causes light seen from the Moon to look bluer; hence, a blue moon.
Jim Todd of OMSI contributed to this article
