NORTHERN HEMISPHERE — Excitement in the sky coming your way soon, as Earth will experience the bright light of two supermoons in January. The first is on the first of the month, and the second is also a Blue Moon with a side order of total eclipse.
Supermoon
According to NASA, when the moon reaches its full phase at the closest point to Earth along the satellite’s elliptical orbit, causing our friendly orb to look bigger and as much as 30 percent brighter than other times it’s full, that’s a supermoon.
On Monday, Jan. 1, 2017 the moon will be full at precisely 6:24 p.m. PST. This one is said to be the brightest supermoon of three consecutive supermoons, one of which occurred on Dec. 3, 2017, and the two in January, 2018.
Super Blue Moon Eclipse
Jan. 31, 2018 will have us looking at a super Blue Moon eclipse, with totality visible from eastern Asia across the Pacific to western North America. During the eclipse, NASA says the moon will slowly lose its brightness and take on a reddish hue because of the way the atmosphere bends the light. Totally eclipsed moons are sometimes also called “blood moons” because of this rosy phenomenon.
Wolf Moon
Meanwhile, this week, Jan. 1 marks the night of the Full Wolf Moon, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, so be sure to get out an howl a little bit. Not too much. Just the right amount.
Happy New Year, everybody.
