The Super Blood Wolf Moon Cometh...
Who's afraid of the big blood wolf moon? Not us! It's a rare sky watching phenomenon with three events happening at the same time - a super moon, a blood moon, and a wolf moon. This special lunar trifecta happens late ( beginning at 11:41 PM EST) on January 20th, or 21st, depending upon your time zone, and is expected to last for 62 minutes - although, the entire event should last for about three and half hours.
Super Moons, Blood Moons, and Wolf Moons - Oh My
According to EarthSky, a supermoon is a full moon or new moon that comes within 90 percent of its closest of its nearest approach to Earth. Astronomers prefer to call such moons, a Perigean new moon or a Perigean full moon. Perigee means near Earth. Due to the closer proximity to us, the moon often appears slightly larger than normal. It's not.
A blood moon is simply a full moon in total eclipse. It happens with the earth is directly between the moon and the sun. The moon appears reddish in color because it is being illuminated by sunlight refracted from the earth's atmosphere. This will be the last chance in a while for skygazers to view this phenomna - it won't happen again until 2021.
Finally, a wolf moon is the first full moon in January of any given year. The Farmer's Almanac suggests Native Americans called it this as it seemed to appear around the same time as wolves howled in hunger outside their villages. Although, due to the winter breeding season, it's likely the howls in January came from particularly loud and vocal wolves seeking mates.
Unfortunately, in our area, the weather forecast for Sunday and Monday is calling for clouds and rain. It's looks as if our chance to see this show is doubtful right now, but one can always hope for some unpredicted clearing. Regardless, for anyone who enjoys gazing at the night sky, Super Blood Wolf Moon is the featured event for winter 2019.
Comments(18)