So this is pretty cool… A rare trio of lunar events will happen all in the space of just 24 hours: A blue moon, a super moon and a total lunar eclipse.
A Blue Moon is when two full moons happen in the same calendar month. The first full moon of this month happened on January 1st. This will be the second – January 30th
A Supermoon happens when the moon reaches its closest point to Earth in its orbit. The moon shines 16% brighter and appears 7% larger than its usual size.
A Lunar Eclipse happens when the moon passes into the Earth’s shadow.
Just having these three things simultaneously occur is very unusual.
When and what will we be able to see in here in CNY?
When the moon rises the evening of Tuesday, January 30th, at approximately 4:26 p.m., as long as the sky is clear enough, you will be able to see the blue moon. This will also be the best time to see the Supermoon.
The moon then becomes completely full at 8:27 a.m. on January 31. It will most likely be impossible to view it completely full on the East Coast but try to look for a nearly full moon in the early hours Wednesday morning.
There are three things special about Wednesday’s full moon. It will be a blue moon, a super moon, and a blood moon.
What is a blood moon? A total lunar eclipse will be occurring across parts of the Earth during this full moon. A total lunar eclipse causes the moon to turn red. That is why the term “blood moon” was created because it looks red
The fullest the moon in CNY will be when it sets at 7:10 a.m. January 31st. It’s at this time that you’ll be able to see the max eclipse visible in Syracuse (which will only be a partial lunar eclipse). You’ll be able to see a little bit of a reddish hue to the partially cut full moon as it sets in the western sky.
Ohhh the weather. Between 6:30 AM and 7:20 AM – this is likely our best chance of seeing at least partial clearing. So, we will have an opportunity to see this partial eclipse coupled with the blue moon and super moon all at the same time.
If we miss out on this blue moon, will there be another this year? YES. We will see another blue moon (the second full moon in one calendar month) again March 31st.