Super Blue Blood Lunar Eclipse

  • Released Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Get ready for the Super Blue Blood Moon! Our closest celestial neighbor is always a wondrous sight, but on the morning of Jan. 31, 2018, three special lunar events are all happening at the same time, providing an excellent excuse to go out and enjoy the nighttime sky.
1 - The full Moon is near the closest point of its orbit so it appears a little larger than usual, what many call a Supermoon.
2 - It’s the second full Moon of the month, what many call a Blue Moon, though the Moon is not literally blue.
3 - There’s a total lunar eclipse, what many call a Blood Moon, visible before sunrise for the western half of the U.S. and other countries near the Pacific. During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon crosses through the shadow of the Earth and LITERALLY appears red as it reflects all of Earth’s sunrises and sunsets.
Join NASA scientists Michelle Thaller and Noah Petro live from the Goddard Space Flight Center as we discuss where, when, and how to view this lunar extravaganza and the latest Moon science brought to us by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.



Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Release date

This page was originally published on Tuesday, January 30, 2018.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:47 PM EDT.


Series

This page can be found in the following series: