Thread: Astronomy and Halloween

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In case anyone else curses a bright moon on Halloween ruining your haunt effects, there are plenty of sunrise/sunset calculator out there that will also let you know when the moon rises too.

For example: http://www.sunrisesunset.com/custom_srss_calendar.asp

Where I live, the moon will not rise on Halloween until 1:12 in the morning, and it's a waning quarter moon. It should be plenty dark for the trick or treaters. You can also get a rough estimate on how dark it will be at your house at, say, 6 pm by seeing how many minutes before sunset it will be on Oct 31 and working your way back the same number of minutes from sunset today. Mind you this is a rough estimate only.

I just wish Daylight Savings wasn't locked into the first Sunday of November. I remember a few Halloweens that were really really dark by 5:30 thanks to the hour change. But alas... no more.

Funny you talk about Daylight Savings - I was just talking with my coworker about how much it sucks that it's AFTER Halloween.

Halloween or not I just hate having to do the time changes :/ Waking up at what feels like four instead of what is now five.

I welcome a full moon on Halloween. Adds to the ambience and its FREE!!!

JohnnyD-Thats a great link. Thanks for posting. Ill be using it often. Its always good to know before hand what shadows will be cast and where on Halloween both for prop effects and religious rites and rituals.

I don't really care one way or the other but a full moon is awesome.

I like a good full moon too... And it is strange that the one night a year when a full moon is most expected is also the one night a year when I absolutely do not want it.

I have to fight enough ambient light from street lamps on Halloween as it is. If I could control the rest of the light sources on my display, maybe a full moon wouldn't matter. Since I can't, I want the sky to be as clear and dark as possible.

I have a full moon every year. The street light