If you have a lunar spirit or simply a love for the night sky, get ready to enjoy the sight of 13 full moons this year, including 2 dramatic super moons and a second full moon in October [1]. 

There are normally 12 full moons in a year, but since our calendar is not perfectly in sync with the earth’s movements, we occasionally have 13 full moons a year. While blood moon lovers might be a bit disappointed this year since there won’t be a total lunar eclipse, there’s so much more to look forward to on the night sky. Also, the day sky isn’t left out as we’re expecting an annular and a total solar eclipse this year.

The skies will be adorned with two super moons on March 9 and April 7, where the moon appears it’s largest in the sky. A super moon (perigee-syzygy) occurs when the moon comes closest to the earth in its elliptic orbit and would appear bigger and brighter than normal. A super moon is typically 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a regular moon. It’s a powerfully enchanting sight to behold, so much that some people and religions believe it has healing powers. April’s super moon is expected to be bigger, so keep that in mind.

The Blue Moon

The moon count is 13 this year because we’re expecting a “blue moon” in October. What’s even better? The blue moon will take place on Halloween. What better way for the universe to make the holiday more…. sinister?

While a blue moon is typically grey or white and indistinguishable from a regular moon, it’s exceptional because it appears as the second full moon in one month. Halloween was last graced with a blue moon on October 31, 2001. According to AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Lada, “After the blue moon on Oct. 31, 2020, trick-or-treaters will need to wait until 2039 to see the next blue moon on Halloween [2].” 

19 years is a long wait, so we’d better soak this one up when it comes around.

Read: The real reason you have bad luck in your relationships – why you NEED to know your moon sign

Other celestial events to expect

While there’s not going to be a moon trifecta this year, a rare occurrence of a super moon, a blood moon and a blue moon happening as one full moon, we’re getting compensated with annular and total solar eclipses. 

We’re expecting an annular eclipse on June 21, which would be visible from some parts of Africa, south of Pakistan, northern India, and China. An annular eclipse is a phenomenon where the moon covers the center of the sun, leaving only the outer parts visible as a ring of fire, also called an annulus.

On December 14, a total solar eclipse will occur. So, in some parts of the world where people will be lucky to witness it, there’ll be darkness during the day because the moon will completely cover the sun. Many people would usually plan trips to lucky locations to witness total solar eclipses. This year, the eclipse will be visible in two-thirds of South America, mostly in Argentina and Chile, and a bit of Southwestern Africa. Sadly for North Americans, no part of the eclipse will be seen from the continent.

The full moon schedule for 2020 is listed below [3]:

1. January 10
2. February 9
3. March 9 (supermoon)
4. April 7 (supermoon)
5. May 7
6. June 5
7. July 5
8. August 3
9. September 2
10. October 1
11. October 31 (Blue Moon)
12. November 30
13. December 29

Eclipses:

1. Jan 10–11. Lunar Eclipse (Penumbral)
2. Jun 5–6. Lunar Eclipse (Penumbral)
3. Jun 21. Solar Eclipse (Annular)
4. Jul 4–5. Lunar Eclipse (Penumbral)
5. Nov 29–30. Lunar Eclipse (Penumbral)
6. Dec 14. Solar Eclipse (Total)

Go mark your calendars so you don’t miss out on any of these entrancing celestial events!

Read More: 7 Strange Signs That You Are Spiritually Gifted (and Don’t Know It Yet)

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