Dear Tom,
How common is a full moon on New Year’s Day?
Jim Jacobs, Chicago
Dear Jim,
We posed your question to Dan Joyce, astronomer at Triton College’s Cernan Earth and Space Center, and he told us the probability of a full moon on Jan. 1 is the same as it is on every other day of the year, occurring an average of twice in any 59- year period.
For a while, a full moon will occur on a specific date once every 19 years, but because the actual period of the full moon repetition is only 18.61 years and a leap day is added every four years, the repetitive period gradually increases.
A full moon last occurred on New Year’s Day eight years ago in 1999, and the next occurrence will be 11 years from now on Jan. 1, 2018. Beyond that, a full moon will next grace the New Year’s sky in 2037 and again in 2048.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
