Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse Is Coming Later This Month

The 'super blood wolf moon eclipse' is coming to a sky near you later this month. 'The total lunar eclipse will start late on Sunday, Jan. 20 and finish early on Monday, Jan. 21,' reports USA Today. Slashdot reader Zorro shares the report: Total lunar eclipse: A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon and the sun are on exact opposite sides of Earth, according to NASA. When this happens, Earth blocks the sunlight that normally reaches the moon. Instead of that sunlight hitting the moon's surface, Earth's shadow falls on it. Starting at 9:36 p.m. EST Jan. 20, skywatchers will notice a 'little notch is taken out of the moon,' according to Brian Murphy, director of Indiana's Holcomb Observatory & Planetarium and Butler University professor. At 10:34 p.m., it moves into a partial eclipse, and starting at 11:41 p.m., the full eclipse begins; a maximum eclipse occurs at 12:12 a.m. Jan. 21. The total eclipse ends at 12:44 a.m. Supermoon: A supermoon occurs when the full moon is at the closest point of its orbit to the Earth (perigee). That makes the moon look extra-close and extra bright -- up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than a full moon at its farthest point from Earth, known as the apogee, NASA said. This is the first of three supermoons in 2019. The others will be on Feb. 19 and March 21. Of these, the Feb. 19 full moon will be the closest and largest full supermoon of 2019.
'Blood' moon: That is just the reddish color the moon will appear during the total lunar eclipse. 'Wolf' moon: According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, Native Americans called the January full moon the 'wolf' moon because it appeared when wolves howled in hunger outside the villages.

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