A Halloween treat in the night sky this weekend
This Halloween we can look up to an event in the night sky we haven't seen since 2001.
October has been a great month for stargazers, and the month will end with a Halloween treat.
A full moon will rise shortly after sunset Saturday. While every month has a full moon, to get one fitting for Halloween, it’s a little uncommon
"To get a full moon on any specific day of the year, whether it's Halloween, your birthday or Christmas, or anything else, is about once every 19 years,” said Siobahn Morgan, Professor of Astronomy at University of Northern Iowa. “There's always a safety factor because the full moon is brighter than any other phases of the moon so it's always nice to have a bright full moon if you're going to be out at night. Great for trick-or-treating.”
An interesting note, this is the first full moon for the entire United States on Halloween since 1944. In 2001, the moon was not technically full along the east coast until Nov. 1 due to time zones. In 1955, there was a full moon for the eastern and central time zones, but nor mountain or pacific.
Halloween night is a great night to look for a number of other reasons as well. Mars will be above and to the right of the moon. Meanwhile in the southwestern sky, the duo of Jupiter and Saturn will still close together, shining bright near closer to the horizon.
We’d love to see your photos of the moon and Halloween festivities. You can send them to us on our website, Iowasnewsnow.com/chimein.
