No one has seen a Super Blue Blood Moon in 150 years, but on Wednesday, January 31 those living in the United States can count themselves lucky.
What is a Super Blue Blood Moon? We’re glad you asked.
It’s a combination of a Blue Moon, a total lunar eclipse and a Super Moon all at once.
A Super Moon is when the Moon is at its closest point to Earth and appears to be 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than normal. A Blue Moon is when there are two full moons in one calendar month.
A lunar eclipse happens when the Moon passes through Earth’s shadow.
The last time a Super Blue Blood Moon occurred was on March 31, 1866 – so no one alive today has ever seen one.
In North America, Alaska, or Hawaii, the lunar eclipse will be visible before sunrise on Wednesday, January 31. For those in the Middle East, Asia, eastern Russia, Australia and New Zealand, the “Super Blue Blood Moon” can be seen during moonrise in the evening of the 31st, according to Nasa.
South Africans will not be able to see the Blood Moon or the lunar eclipse, but we will see a Super Blue Moon.
Picture: Pixabay