Paraskevidekatriaphobians might want to stay indoors Friday, especially if they also have selenophobia.
The first condition is fear of Friday the 13th; the second is fear of full moons. Both events happen this Friday.
Some people believe a full moon can make people act strangely. After all, the word “lunacy,” which means insanity, comes from the Latin word for moon. Similarly, Friday the 13th is associated with bad luck.
This Friday’s full moon is also a harvest moon, meaning it’s the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox (September 23). Here are five things to know about this moon and Friday the 13th.
1. It’s a rare occurrence
We haven't seen a harvest moon on Friday the 13th since 2000, according to treehugger.com, and we won't see another until 2049.
2. A harvest moon provides extra light
The full moon closest to the autumnal equinox rises about half an hour earlier than a normal full moon, according to NASA. This will happen for a few days, even when the moon isn't technically full. Farmers once relied on this extra light to harvest their crops, which is how the harvest moon got its name.
3. This is also a micromoon
A micromoon happens when a full moon coincides with apogee, the point in the moon's orbit farthest from Earth.
4. Friday the 13th will happen only twice this year
It’s taken nine months, but the first Friday the 13th of 2019 happens this week. The second will be December 13. Next year will also have two 13s falling on Fridays: March 13 and November 13.
5. Bad things have happened on Friday the 13th
In 1940, the Germans bombed Buckingham Palace on Friday the 13th. In 1970, a cyclone killed more than 300,000 people in Bangladesh. More recently, rapper Tupac Shakur was killed on September 13, 1996 — a Friday.
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