A very rare alignment in the lunar calendar produces what astronomers call a super blue blood moon and it will come in the early morning hours tomorrow, January 31. (video from NASA, YouTube).
The phenomenon hasn’t happened for over a century, because it consists of three rare moon-related events all happening at the same time: a super moon, a blue moon and a lunar eclipse.
The moon will be a super moon on Wednesday because it will be at the closest point to Earth in its orbit, meaning it will appear about seven per cent larger and 14 per cent brighter than normal. It’ll be a blue moon, at least in name, because it will be the second full moon within a calendar month. And it’ll be a blood moon because of a rare lunar eclipse, which will cast a blood-red shadow over the moon’s surface.
It’s been two years since the last lunar eclipse, but over 150 years since that coincided with a blue moon.
NASA says the super blue blood moon will be visible early Wednesday in Western Canada, so long as it’s not too cloudy from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. Pacific Time, although the shadow will start appearing on the moon at approximately 3:48 a.m.
Viewers in Western Canada will have a chance to see the total eclipse phase from start to finish, though the penumbral shadow will pass after the moon has set, NASA says on its website.
NASA says it will be tougher to catch a glimpse of the super blue blood moon in Central and Eastern Canada, because it will only be visible for less than half an hour, starting at 6:48 EST. The best place to see it here will be in a “high place” for a clear line of sight say experts in the west-northwest, opposite from where the sun will rise.
Another way to check this out is to watch the live stream starting at 5:30 am EST from NASA HERE.
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