Full Hunter’s Blue Moon to rise on Halloween before clocks fall back

A so-called “full Hunter’s Blue Moon” is slated to rise on Halloween 2020 before the end of Daylight Saving Time, capping an unusual October when the coronavirus pandemic might have people feeling less like hunters and more like the hunted.

The rare pairing of lunar events is expected to shine over North America on the night of Oct. 31, just before Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends for many jurisdictions in the U.S. and Canada.

Halloween 2020 occupies a near-perfect spot on the calendar this year, as it falls on a Saturday with a full moon at night, followed by an extra hour of sleep for many the morning.

North American folklore bestows a different name on the full moon for each month, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. October is the month of the Hunter’s Moon, while other full moons are named for seasonal things like corn (September), flowers (May), worms (March) and the cold (December).

The moon will be full for a second time in October on Halloween, which by definition makes it a blue moon — just a nickname that has nothing to do with the actual colour of the moon.

For those who do venture out for some trick-or-treating, the full moon should provide a little extra light in the dark.

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It’ll also be the perfect nightlight for those with a fixed wake-up time, as the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST) will effectively add an hour to their sleep. Clocks will “fall back” by an hour at 1:59 a.m. on Nov. 1, though only in areas that follow DST.

Some lawmakers go after DST every year around March and November, sparking many calls (but few actual steps) to eliminate it.

Ontario was the latest jurisdiction to consider revoking the practice earlier this month, though the proposed bill would only make the change if New York and Quebec agreed to follow suit.

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British Columbia made a similar “you jump first” decision earlier this year, when it tied the fate of its DST to California, Oregon and Washington state.

Most of Canada follows Daylight Saving Time, with exceptions in Yukon and parts of Saskatchewan, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia.

All parts of Canada will return to local Standard Time beginning on Nov. 1.