Citizens of the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Central Pacific will have a chance to observe a very rare spectacle.
The unique event is described as a “wolf moon,” a “blood moon,” and a “super moon” all occurring at once — so mark the calendar for Sunday, January 20.
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Beginning late at night on January 20, the lunar eclipse will be visible in the U.S. from coast to coast, with the best view on the eastern side of America, according to ABC News.
The total lunar eclipse will begin at 11:41 p.m. EST and last until 12:44 a.m. on Monday, January 21, space.com is reporting.
The optimal viewing time is 12:16 a.m. EST on January 21.
It’s been over three years since North America had a decent view of a lunar eclipse — and over 220 years since a totally eclipsed moon was able to be seen by New Yorkers.
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The next chance for experiencing this won’t arrive again until 2113.
This is no normal eclipse, say the experts.
Only 28 super wolf blood moons are projected to occur in this century.
supermoon – full moon closest to Earth
blood moon – moon in eclipse looks red
wolf moon – first full moon of the year
"super blood wolf moon"
January 20th &/or 21st
11:41 p.m. EST
for 62 minuteshttps://t.co/pYEnkyyOkL— Carol Rowland (@CarolRo39173875) January 11, 2019
'Super wolf blood moon' to welcome in 2019 with rare celestial spectacle this month: https://t.co/EN6Y4IyZRc pic.twitter.com/PU59xgYq3z
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) January 14, 2019
Super Wolf Blood Moon Coming Jan. 20, Epic Eclipse To Last Over 1 Hour https://t.co/CsuuGEloSs pic.twitter.com/rcs0RLkTIO
— CBSDenver (@CBSDenver) January 13, 2019
Tracy Gregg, a planetary scientist at the University of Buffalo, told ABC News the wolf moon is denoted as the “first full moon in January.”
“A super moon is when there is a full moon at the same time that the moon is closest to Earth.”
“A blood moon is part of a lunar eclipse. As the Earth’s shadow comes between the Sun and the full moon, the moon’s color changes to a reddish tint,” she explained.
“During a lunar eclipse, the only light the moon gets is reflected off [the] Earth and Earth’s atmosphere.”
“Earth’s atmosphere scatters blue light (that’s why the sky looks blue), but the red light gets reflected onto the Moon’s surface — so that’s what we see during a lunar eclipse.”
The eclipse is estimated to last for about an hour and 3 minutes.
That’s longer than the average lunar eclipse of 50 minutes.
NASA’s website details the lunar eclipses of this decade, both past and future.
And check out this video:
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