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Even NASA Is Excited About The 'Super Blue Blood Moon' - Will Live Stream Moon

This article is more than 6 years old.

NASA

By now you likely have heard of the lunar phenomenon "super blue blood moon" taking place in just two days on Wednesday, January 31, 2018. Excitement is growing, even at NASA, where they plan to live stream the moon as it dazzles skywatchers in a few days.

While you've undoubtedly seen the headlines, you may still be wondering why this particular moon is so special and what happens when a super moon, blue moon and blood moon all take place in just one night.  To get you up to speed just a few days before the phenomenon we try to answer all of your questions in one place.

What Is A Supermoon?

A supermoon is named after a full moon when it is at the closest distance to the Earth in its orbit. When timing is just right, a full moon coincides with the moon's perigee (closest distance to Earth). This event usually occurs 3-4 times per year and most recently occurred on January 2nd, 2018. The end result of the moon being closer to the Earth, it is 14 percent brighter than normal.

The figure below compares the distance of the moon to the Earth with the timing of both full and new moons from 2016 until 2019. Anytime a full moon sits at the lowest part of the oscillating wave, that indicates a supermoon.

Wikipedia

When Is The Next Supermoon In 2018?

We have been lucky lately, with three supermoons within a couple months. The next supermoon to occur in 2018 is just 2 days away, on January 31st, 2018. If you happen to be busy or aren't able to catch that supermoon, you'll have to wait about a year, until January 21, 2019, to catch the next one. Below is a table of the upcoming supermoons and their dates through 2021.

Supermoon Year Supermoon Date
2018 Tuesday, January 2
2018 Wednesday, January 31
2019 Monday, January 21
2019 Tuesday, February 19
2020 Monday, March 9
2020 Wednesday, April 8
2021 Tuesday, April 27
2021 Saturday, December 4

What Is A Blue Moon And Its Meaning?

A moon is termed a blue moon when it is the second full moon in a single calendar month. Since the last full moon was on January 31st, 2018, this will be the second full moon of the month. The name blue moon, which you may have heard before from the beer named blue moon is due somewhat of a misnomer.

While the moon can appear blue at points, this doesn't have anything to do with being the second moon in the month. The bluish tinge is due to dust and smoke in the atmosphere scattering the red light particles and making the moon appear blue.

A blue moon is rarer than a supermoon, occurring once every two or three years. Of these blue moons, about half of them are due to the second moon of the month and the other half are from seasonal blue moons. A seasonal blue moon is the third full moon of four full moons within an astronomical season.

Blue Moon Year Blue Moon Date Type
2018 Wednesday, January 31, 2018 2nd Full Moon in a month
2018 Saturday, March 31, 2018 2nd Full Moon in a month
2019 Friday, May 18, 2018 3rd Full Moon in season
2020 Wednesday, October 31, 2018 2nd Full Moon in a month

What Is A Blood Moon And Its Meaning?

A blood moon is the term for a total lunar eclipse due to the reddish hue the moon can take on during this phenomenon. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon sits directly behind the Earth, within the Earth's shadow. This alignment of the Sun, Earth, and moon effectively blocks out the Sun's light from hitting the moon directly.

The moon appears red in this instance because Earth's atmosphere filters out the incoming blue light (called Rayleigh scattering), casting a reddish hue onto the moon's surface. A total lunar eclipse will often cast a reddish color onto the moon and is often times the most extreme when the moon sits low on the horizon. This is because the lower the moon is on the horizon, the farther light has to travel through Earth's atmosphere to get from the moon to you.

How Do I Live Stream The Super Blue Blood Moon?

Now that you have a good sense of just how spectacular Wednesday's super blue blood moon will be, you may be wondering how best to view the moon. If you live on the west coast of North America or are in Alaska or Hawaii you're in luck. Simply set your alarm before sunrise this Wednesday, January 31st and you'll be in a prime location to view the lunar event.

If you live on on the east coast, in central time or mountain time zone see below for the ideal viewing times to see the super blue blood moon.

Time Zone Perfect Time To Watch Super Blue Blood Moon Window Of Watching
EST 6:45 a.m. Starting 5:51 a.m. when the moon enters the outer part of Earth's shadow until the moon sets around 7:15 a.m.
CST 6:15 to 6:30 a.m. Starting at 4:51 a.m when the Earth's shadow begins to pass of the moon until the moon sets around 7:06 a.m.
MST 6:30 a.m. Starting at 4:48 a.m when the Earth's shadow begins to pass of the moon until the moon sets around 7:12 a.m.
PST 5:00 to 6:00 a.m. Starting at 3:48 a.m when the Earth's shadow begins to pass of the moon until the moon sets around 6:05 a.m.

If you'd rather stay inside, however, NASA will be live streaming the entire event. Starting at 5:30 a.m. EST this Wednesday, January 31st simply check out NASA's live feed of the moon both on NASA TV and NASA Live. You can also follow the NASA Moon Twitter account for up to date information and some incredible images along the way.

I have always been fascinated by the night sky. Most of what we can see without a telescope are points of light, but the Moon is close enough that we can see it and the features on it, and notice what changes and what stays the same each night.Gordon Johnston, ‎Planetary Program Executive - ‎NASA Headquarters

Hopefully, this has answered all your questions about the upcoming super blue blood moon and inspired you to set your alarm clock early this Wednesday morning to gaze into the sky in awe.

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