For the first time since World War II , the full moon will be visible from every corner of the planet, and it will be accompanied by Halloween.
2020 has been a strange year for many, and another highly unusual event is coming our way. This year's Halloween full moon will be visible across the globe, and not just in certain places, for the first time since World War II, according to astronomy instructor and former planetarium director Jeffrey Hunt.
"When I was teaching, high school students believed that every Halloween the moon was full," Hunt told CNET.
The last Halloween full moon visible around the world came in 1944, Hunt said. He has written about the event on his website, When the Curves Line Up. There was a full moon for some locations in 1955, but it didn't include western North America and the western Pacific, he added.
This year's Halloween full moon will be visible from all parts of the planet, but that doesn't mean every citizen will have a view. Residents of both North and South America will see it, as will India, Europe and much of Asia. However, while Western Australians will see it, those in the central and eastern parts of the country will not.
"Every time zone will have visibility, except those east of (GMT) +8 if they have daylight saving time, or (GMT) +9 without daylight saving time."
The Halloween full moon is so bright that you will see it wherever you are, and you won't need specialized expensive equipment.
"Walk outside and take a look at the sky."
Unfortunately, if you try to capture this unique moon with your phone camera, the photo will bear no resemblance to the real thing. “When photographing the moon with a smartphone, the results can be disappointing,” Hunt admits. “A telephoto lens attachment will help you make the moon appear larger. Be sure to check that the adapter fits your make and model. Also, don’t overdo it with the exposure settings. Adjust the camera’s brightness so that the features are visible and not affected by the brightness of the moon.”
If you're too busy watching movies, or anything else you can do amid the COVID-19, you'll have to wait until 2039 for another global full moon.
"Of course, the full moon will occur in October during leap years, not just on Halloween," Hunt says.
