Ok, I admit it, I'm sort of a closet Astronomy geek. Tonight (or early tomorrow morning if you prefer) will be a celestial event not seen in the last 150 years, at least according to the article I read.
There will be a Super Moon, which is when the full moon is at, or near perigee in it's orbit around Earth. That makes it look really big.
This will also be the second full moon in January, which earns it the designation of a Blue Moon. You know the phrase, Once in a blue moon? This is where it comes from. Blue moons are not super common.
Lastly there will be a lunar eclipse tonight also, giving the moon a reddish hue, and earning it the title of Blood Moon.
Best viewing in North America will be in the West. Perigee occurred this morning at 4:54am EST. So the moon will have barely moved from perigee by tomorrow morning. The eclipse begins at 5:51am EST tomorrow morning (Jan 31). This will make it tough on the East Coast to see much eclipse. But the West Coast, Alaska and Hawaii should have a grand view, weather permitting. And if you live in the Central timezone, your viewing should be better than the East Coast. At 4:51 a.m. CST the penumbra, the lighter part of Earth's shadow, will touch the moon. Around 6:15 a.m. CST the reddish shadow should be clearly noticeable on the moon. The eclipse will be harder to see as the pre-dawn sky grows lighter, so the best viewing will be from about 6:15-6:30 a.m.
So set your alarms, and get out there in the hopefully clear cold sky and enjoy the view!
I'm setting the alarm to get my lazy backside outta bed on time. It will be very interesting to see a full moon draped in red. Blessings. :)
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