Super Blue Blood Moon News: Where Can the Rare Celestial Event on Jan. 31 Be Seen?
By sheer coincidence, the last day of this month will have a spectacular show for sky gazers. On that night, lucky viewers on the right side of the planet will get to see a blue supermoon and a lunar eclipse occur at the same time.
The blue supermoon lunar eclipse is the highlight of the few weeks of supermoons for this past couple of months, which started with the first supermoon back on Dec. 3, 2017. These three past full moons have been brighter and bigger, and it's not just due to optical illusions this time.
Supermoons have been aptly named for being measurably larger than the regular full moon as seen from Earth. They are 14 percent larger, and as a result, are as much as 30 percent brighter than regular moonrises.
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They come up due to the irregular orbit the Moon makes around planet Earth. where the natural satellite comes up closer at some points and farther in other times. The closest approach the Moon will make to the planet occurs on the night of Jan. 30, according to Space.com, which would be a peak Supermoon if it was a full moon at that time.
Lucky for skywatchers, Jan. 31 just happens to be a full moon, and not just a regular full Supermoon at that. It's also considered a Blue Moon, which happens when a full moon is the second for that month, another rare coincidence.
To top it all off, the same night is also when the first ever full lunar eclipse for 2018 occurs. The peak eclipse is just out of sight from the continental U.S. when it happens, but watchers in the east coast can still catch the Blue Supermoon getting eclipsed at early morning of Jan. 31.
Watchers in New York City will be able to see the moon enter the Earth's shadow at 5:51 a.m. on Jan. 31, if weather conditions permit. The moon sets soon after, so inland U.S. should be able to get a better view of the Blue Supermoon Eclipse just a few minutes after.
