Tonight will mark a “super blood moon”, with its appearance being of dusky red hue due to being full Moon at perigee (its closest point from Earth in its orbit).
Skywatchers with clear skies should be able to spot it well before dawn on Monday.
Definition
A super blood moon occurs when the Moon reaches full phase during a total lunar eclipse, like May 15-16’s event will see. Earth’s shadow cast on this lunar phenomenon, bathing it in red hues that give its bloodlike hue. A super blood moon should not be missed!
Lunar eclipses occur when the Moon lines up with and passes directly in front of the Sun, completely blocking out direct sunlight and making it appear darker and smaller than usual. Though subtle in size difference, their effect can be profound – many refer to these eclipses as blood moons for this very reason!
One reason for this lunar phenomenon may be due to the Moon being closer to Earth during a total eclipse, when its physical size remains unchanged but appears up to 14% larger and 30% brighter compared to usual. This event is known as a supermoon; and its next appearance will happen sometime around 2024.
One reason the Moon may appear red is due to how Sunlight interacts with Earth’s atmosphere. When sunlight strikes the atmosphere, shorter wavelengths like blue are scattered outward while longer wavelengths like red bend into its shadow causing a deep red color of the Moon – hence its name “blood moon.”
As part of its reddened appearance during a lunar eclipse, the Moon becomes red due to interactions between its surface and Earth’s dust particles. When passing through Earth’s umbra shadow area, these dust particles scatter light reflected back from lunar surfaces causing it to be scattered and create an orange glow around its perimeter, turning the Moon a deep red color.
Astronomers refer to blood moons that occur more than once every century as lunar tetrads – this series of four total lunar eclipses taking place over two years and lasting more than 100 years, starting in 1582 and lasting until 2024.
Origins
An eclipsed super blood moon occurs when Earth aligns between the Sun and Moon during a lunar eclipse, blocking out much of the light from reaching the Moon but scattering some into reddish hues which give its surface its characteristic “bloody” hue – hence why we refer to such events as blood moons.
The supermoon element of this event occurs when the Moon approaches perigee – its closest point in orbit to Earth – which causes it to appear larger and brighter than usual, usually between 7-15% larger and more luminescent depending on your location on Earth. This phenomenon makes for spectacular sky displays!
When the Moon nears perigee, its gravity can trigger Earth’s natural satellites to cast shadows across its surface – this phenomenon is called a partial lunar eclipse and does not appear as dramatic since only part of its surface is covered by shadow.
This lunar eclipse marks a unique event because it marks the second of four consecutive total eclipses to take place without partial eclipses interfering. This rare sequence of four eclipses is known as a “tetrad,” and was last witnessed in 1400, though another one won’t occur for 150 years!
People will likely view this event as a wonderful and breathtaking spectacle, while for others it may signal the coming end of days. This belief – known as “blood moon theory” – has its origins both within Christianity as well as non-Christian superstitions.
Inca Empire in South America believed that when a Blood Moon appeared, it signalled a jaguar’s killing of Mama Quilla – Moon Goddess. Blood from Mama Quilla would pool on the Moon turning it red while people began howling and barking to try and scare away any further jaguar attacks; hence why January’s full Moon became known as Wolf Moon.
Observation
At a lunar eclipse, our moon moves into Earth’s shadow and appears as an intense coppery red hue due to sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere and dissipating; this scattering removes most of its blue component resulting in predominantly red lighting.
This makes the Moon appear larger and brighter than usual – an event known as a supermoon. 2022’s supermoon was particularly close to Earth, giving rise to what’s known as a blood moon phenomenon.
The next full lunar eclipse will occur on March 13/14, 2025 and will be visible from most parts of North America. As it’s also the first full Moon of the year, hence why it has earned itself the name “wolf Moon.”
To experience a super blood moon, it’s necessary to be in the right place at the right time. A clear sky and being on either the western or eastern horizon are crucial.
If you can’t physically see an eclipse, there are numerous livestreams available online where it can be watched free.
Travel to a rural location for the best view of a lunar eclipse and take in more of its scenery while decreasing chances of encountering clouds.
No matter your purpose for visiting the Moon, taking pictures requires an adequate camera. Though any standard digital or smartphone will do the trick, a high-quality SLR offers superior results.
This month’s Super Flower Blood Moon can be seen across most of North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific Ocean from Sunday night until early Monday morning. The event will occur from Sunday evening until early Monday morning.
Conclusions
A super moon occurs when the full Moon coincides with its closest point in orbit (known as perigee), appearing approximately 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than usual. The “blood” portion results from some sunlight being bent by Earth’s atmosphere to shine onto the Moon and give it its characteristic reddish-coppery glow; “super” refers to any full or new Moon that occurs while near perigee; this generally happens three or four times each year.
The January 31st Super Blue Blood Moon also marked a total lunar eclipse, in which the Moon will appear to disappear from view as it passes completely beneath Earth’s shadow. This event completed what’s known as a lunar tetrad which started back in October 2014 and ran until May 2016.
Be mindful that a Super Blue Blood Moon does not derive its name from any astronomical phenomenon related to color; most often the moon will appear either blue or white. Instead, its designation comes from being January’s second Full Moon every two and a half years – hence its moniker.
NASA estimates that you can see this event across Western North America, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Eastern Russia; with its best viewing being along the West Coast where the moon will rise just after sunset.
The Super Blue Blood Moon provides an ideal opportunity to practice witchcraft, particularly protection spells and binding spells. Additionally, this lunar event provides the ideal conditions for developing intuition, releasing negative feelings you may be harboring as well as starting new projects or making changes in your life; and even for finding love.