The same lunar phase reoccurs on the same calendar date every 19 years or 235 lunar months, which is called a Metonic Cycle. This is because the lunar 'phase' month is 29.5305 days, and because 29.5305 x 235 = 6939.667 days, and also 19 years = 19 x 365.24 = 6939.56 days. I looked at the Full Moon dates for October 31 and November 1 and got this list:
October 31, 1974 1:19 UT November 1, 1982 12:57 November 1, 2001 5:42 October 31, 2020 14:50 October 31, 2039 22:37
Beware that when the time is close to 24:00 as it is in 1974, 2001 and 2039 the exact date of the Full Moon will depend on where you are on the Earth. You can take the above list and work backwards to all previous Full Moons on the desired date by just subtracting multiples of 19 years.
Copyright 1997 Dr. Sten Odenwald
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