Wednesday January 31 2018

The Super Blue Blood Moon is this morning. This is a combination of the Super Moon, which is the full moon at perigee making it appear 14% later than normal. Perhaps you have already noticed this. The ‘blue’ moon refers to the second full moon this month. However, some have mistaken this for the bright light, especially in areas where there is snowpack on the ground just west and north of Baltimore. The ‘blood’ moon part is all about the lunar eclipse this morning. This is when the moon will pass in Earth’s shadow. The thing is, we will just barely get to see that as the moon is setting.

I love this video NASA put together:

Lunar Eclipse Phases

The eclipse will begin just t 6:48 AM EST right before the moon is setting for us at 7:15 AM EST. So you will barely notice and change in color. This graphic from NASA shows times in PST, so add 3 hours to each stage for what time it will be here on the east coast.

Note: Most of us will miss this, but we will get to see the next lunar eclipse on January 21, 2019. Also note that while this is the second full moon for January, February will actually NOT have a full moon all month. That is even more rare.

According to NASA:

So for viewers in New York or Baltimore, the Moon will enter the outer part of Earth’s shadow at 5:51 a.m., but Johnston says it won’t be all that noticeable. The darker part of Earth’s shadow will begin to blanket part of the Moon with a reddish tint at 6:48 a.m. EST, but the Moon will set less than a half-hour later. “So your best opportunity if you live in the East is to head outside about 6:45 a.m. and get to a high place to watch the start of the eclipse—make sure you have a clear line of sight to the horizon in the west-northwest, opposite from where the Sun will rise,” said Johnston.

If you live in the Central time zone, viewing will be better, since the action begins when the Moon is higher in the western sky. At 4:51 a.m. CST the penumbra — or lighter part of Earth’s shadow – will touch the Moon. By about 6:15 a.m. CST the Earth’s reddish shadow will be clearly noticeable on the Moon. The eclipse will be harder to see in the lightening pre-dawn sky, and the Moon will set after 7:00 a.m. as the Sun rises. “So if you live in Kansas City or Chicago, your best viewing will be from about 6:15-6:30 a.m,” said Johnston. “Again, you’ll have more success if you can go to a high place with a clear view to the West.”

In the Rocky Mountain region, the show begins as the umbra touches the edge of the Moon at 4:48 a.m. MST. The peak of the blood moon eclipse is at about 6:30 a.m. local time, and the Moon will set shortly after 7 a.m.

Californians and viewers in western Canada will be treated to the total eclipse phase from start to finish, though the penumbral shadow will pass after the Moon has set. The umbral eclipse begins at 3:48 a.m. Pacific Time. At 4:51 a.m., totality will begin, with best viewing between about 5:00 and 6:00 a.m. local time. The totality phase ends about 6:05 a.m.

Weather permitting, eclipse fans in Hawaii will experience the lunar eclipse from start to finish, as will skywatchers in Alaska, Australia and eastern Asia.

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