Buzz
On the morning of Wednesday, January 31, stargazers will be treated to a rare celestial spectacle: a supermoon, a blue moon, and a lunar eclipse all at once. This combination forms what's called a super blue blood moon, a giant, bright moon with a red hue. Those in Alaska, Hawaii, and the West Coast with clear skies can begin watching at 4:52 a.m. PT, but don’t worry—NASA will stream the event so everyone can join in.
According to Popular Mechanics, the NASA TV and NASA.gov livestream will begin at 2:30 a.m. PT (5:30 a.m. ET for those on the East Coast), right before the eclipse begins its first phase. The stream will run until 7 a.m. PT (10 a.m. ET), featuring views from telescopes at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, LA's Griffith Observatory, and the University of Arizona's Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter Observatory.
Unfamiliar with lunar eclipses or curious about how a supermoon or blue moon adds to the excitement? Here’s a quick rundown. A supermoon happens when a full Moon reaches its closest point to Earth in its orbit, making it appear about 14 percent brighter than usual. This large, glowing Moon will pass through Earth's shadow, causing it to take on a reddish color (hence the term ‘blood moon’). A ‘blue moon’ refers to the second full moon within a single calendar month, with no relation to the Moon’s color.
The most recent super blue blood moon occurred on December 30, 1982, and the next one won’t happen until January 31, 2037. For Americans, it’s been ages since this celestial event graced the skies—last seen in 1866.
"Weather permitting, the West Coast, Alaska, and Hawaii will have an amazing view of totality from beginning to end," said Greg Johnston, a NASA program executive and lunar blogger, in a statement. "Unfortunately, eclipse viewing will be trickier on the East Coast. The eclipse starts at 5:51 a.m. ET, just as the Moon is setting in the west and the eastern sky begins to brighten."
If you're stuck on the other coast or facing cloudy skies, you can still join in by watching NASA's livestream and following @NASAMoon. Be sure to catch the Moon's red glow, which will begin at 4:52 a.m. PT and 7:52 a.m. ET, lasting for about 1 hour and 16 minutes.
As tomorrow’s moon is the third in a series of recent supermoons (the first two were on December 3, 2017, and January 1, 2018), NASA marked the occasion with a video tribute to the trio below.
