Friday the 13th AND a Full Moon! Uh OH!

It’s Friday the 13th AND there’s a full moon tonight.  Which won’t happen again for another 30 years.  And if that makes you squirm a little, you’re not alone.

Almost a third of Americans in a new survey admitted they’re superstitious . . . including 9% who said they’re VERY superstitious.  That’s about 1 in 11 people.  66% claimed they’re either “not very superstitious” or “not superstitious at all.”

Men were much more likely to say they’re very superstitious . . . 16% compared to just 2% of women.  And young people are more superstitious than older people are.  23% of people between 25 and 34 said they’re very superstitious, versus 1% of people over 55.

AND what about the full moon tonight?

1.  It’s this year’s “Harvest Moon.”  The full moon closest in date to the Fall Equinox is always referred to as a “Harvest Moon.”  And since this year’s equinox falls on September 23rd, tonight’s full moon gets the title.

2.  It will also be a “micro moon.”  Tonight’s full moon also coincides with the point in the moon’s orbit when it’s farthest from Earth.  So even though it’s a full moon, it’ll appear slightly smaller and less bright than usual.

3.  It’s only full for an instant.  The moon will appear full most of the night, but it’s only officially full when it’s exactly 180 degrees opposite the sun in something called ecliptic longitude.  And for tonight’s harvest moon, that happens at about 12:33 A.M. Eastern.

4.  A full moon on Friday the 13th is pretty rare.  We haven’t had a nationwide full moon on Friday the 13th since October 13th, 2000 . . . and the next one won’t be until August 13th, 2049.