Unless you’ve been in a coma (and some of us feel like we have been), you know that the seasons have changed. Autumn is in full swing. Astronomically, the first day of fall was Sept. 23.

And here we are in the Halloweeny month of October. I know that some of you love Halloween and love to plan early for it.

There are quite a few places that have been decorated for Halloween for quite a while. I continue to be surprised at the number of people who tell me that Halloween is their favorite holiday. My response is, “Really? — We don’t even get the day off from work.”

I feel like early Halloween planners and Halloween lovers should have a bit of information. It’s relative to the moon.

Astronomically speaking, again, the full “Hunter’s Moon” will be on Oct. 28. It’s rare for a full moon to be right on Halloween Day. The last one happened in 2020. The next one will be in 2039.

For this Halloween, according to my “expert” interpretation of the data and according to my lucky rabbit’s foot, the moon will rise on Halloween at 8:15 p.m. (at sea level). It will have 92.1% illumination. That’s going to be a little late for young trick-or-treaters, but it should be an impressive moonrise.

If you want to know more technically what the moon situation is, look it up and don’t trust me. No matter what, take a flashlight with you when you’re out on that spooky night.

Otherwise the chilly nights, warm days, and the leaves changing colors let us know that the season has changed. I don’t know from one minute to the next whether to have the cooler on or the heater.

It’s a great time to take a drive up into the mountains to see the fall colors. I think the good water year may have made for conditions that the leaves are hanging on longer than in dry years. I don’t know. That’s a theory.

I’ve enjoyed autumn leaves for many years. It was always a quite casual appreciation. It became more serious in October of 1977.

I had graduated from college in August of that year. The girl I was dating (now my wife) went home to New England to take a semester off that fall. I suddenly decided that I was interested in seeing the fall foliage in New England that autumn. What a lucky “coincidence” that I had a friend in that part of the world to show me around.

It was a fun trip and I did see some beautiful leaves. Seeing my future wife in her “natural habitat” and meeting her parents was a good thing as well. It was a memorable autumn.

Speaking astronomically once again, I should mention that there is an event coming up this month, which is going to be a special day for many people, even if it’s not related to Halloween, nor is it a holiday. It’s the solar eclipse.

This phenomenon is coming up this Saturday, Oct. 14. Snow College is having a “viewing party” for the eclipse on its Richfield campus.

NASA lists Richfield as THE place for the best view in Utah of the 2023 Annular Solar Eclipse. The full annular eclipse for 2023 will be visible in Richfield. Join the eclipse viewing party at Snow College Richfield Campus.

Check out this link for details: https://snow.edu/community/eclipse/index.html

The entire eclipse event will begin at 9:09am and last until 11:57 pm (MDT). The best part of the eclipse will be from 10:26am to 10:31am. This is when the moon’s blockage centers on the sun and creates a “ring of fire.”

Richfield is in the eclipse path and is one of the few cities to have the complete “ring of fire” visible. Other places will have varying degrees of that effect. Remember not to look directly at the sun. Use special solar eclipse glasses which are available at various locations.

I remember in 2017, there was a major eclipse of the sun. The path of that one went over central Idaho. People traveled from all over to watch that one. Some motels had been booked for years at big prices. Farmers were selling camping and viewing spots in fields for $100.00. Some roads were jammed up during part of the event.

I don’t know what Richfield is going to be like on Saturday. But many consider this a big deal. We have out of town friends and relatives coming to spend a night for the event.

I’m reminded of Carly Simon’s 1972 hit song, “You’re So Vain.” It has a lyric line, …you flew your Lear jet up to Nova Scotia to see the total eclipse of the sun…”

The Vikings interpreted eclipses as possible signs of the end of the world. I get the idea from my research that the ancient Chinese may have thought that a solar eclipse was a big dragon trying to eat the sun. Making noise would possibly scare the dragon away.

I see the eclipse as a chance to put on some sunscreen, sip on a soda pop, and visit with friends and relatives. One thing I’ll bring up in conversation is this question. How in the world are scientists able to figure out when these events are going to happen, but they can’t tell me with high reliability whether it’s going to rain tomorrow?

Enjoy Autumn, Sanpete. And, enjoy the moon and how it gets between us and the sun on Saturday. — Merrill

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