Stargazers this weekend will be in for a double treat on Halloween when looking up into the evening skies. The second full moon of the month, called a Blue Moon, will be Saturday. A brighter than usual red Mars should be visible nearby. Dr. John Beck of the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society says Mars is the closest to the earth this month at any other time since August 7, 2003.
Mars should appear yellow-orange or red because of iron oxide on its surface. This will be the last full moon to fall on Halloween until 2039. The Door Peninsula Astronomical Society will not be holding a public event at the Leif Evenson Observatory at Crossroads at Big Creek but will have two observers who will be broadcasting images of the moon and mars online at nightskiesnetwork.com on channel DPAS.
