Super Blue Blood Moon

Super moon - January 30. 2018

     It's been a pretty exciting couple of days astronomically over the past several days.  Not since the year 1866 has a "Super Blue Blood Moon" been visible here on earth.  So, what exactly is a Super Blue Blood Moon?  The event involves three different lunar events occurring concurrently.

     First, the moon must be in the full moon phase.  This is not a rarity as it occurs every month.  When the earth is precisely aligned between the sun and the moon, the sun illuminates the entire surface of the moon which is facing us at that time.  This is known as the "Full Moon".  What made this full moon special is that it was a "Super Moon".  Since the moon's orbit is not a perfect circle around the earth but is rather an ellipse, there are times when the moon is farthest away from the earth (called the Apogee - 405,410 km from earth) and times when it is closest (Perigee - 302,570 km). At those times when the moon is closest, it appears to be slightly larger and much brighter than normal. Hence the term "Super Moon".  We were treated to a Super Moon rising over the Atlantic on Tuesday night, January 30.  The light from the moon was so bright throughout the night that we were easily able to see the features of the beach during the the middle of the night.T

Super Blue Blood Moon

    The second element of the "trifecta" is the fact that this super moon was the second full moon to occur in the month of January.  This phenomenon is referred to as a "Blue Moon".  Usually, a full moon occurs once a month - 12 times a year.  Occasionally, however, a quirk in the calendar will lead to two full moons happening in the same month. The term 'blue" has nothing to do with the color of the moon. Rather it is thought to be called "blue" after an old English word meaning "betrayer".  Not sure where that came from, but nonetheless we had a Blue moon on Tuesday night making this a "Super Blue Moon".

     But wait, there's more!  Not only did we have a Super Blue moon, but early on Wednesday morning, we had a partial lunar eclipse.  As I mentioned before, the full moon occurs when the sun the earth and the moon are all in alignment.  As the sun hits the earth, a shadow is cast behind the earth.  Normally, the moon orbit takes it above or below this relatively narrow shadow, but on occasion, the moon passes right through the shadow and turns "blood red".  In our case here in Florida, only part of the shadow hit the moon causing a partial eclipse.  Nonetheless, the moon took on that ethereal reddish glow.  Whalah! a Super Blue Blood Moon!

     But Wait!  There's more!  Add to this the psychological phenomenon known as the "moon illusion".  The brain for a number of as of yet unresolved reasons, makes the moon appear larger as it approaches the horizon.  If you photograph the moon high in the sky and again as it sets, you will find that the images are exactly the same size.  And yet, we look at the setting moon and think, "My God, that is so much larger than it was earlier!"  Well, in spite of the fact that it is merely an illusion, it certainly made the setting Super Blue Blood Moon all the more spectacular.  I've taken a bit of "poetic photographer's license" here as my 500mm telephoto lens enlarges and compresses images making the setting moon look even larger.  Yet, this is the way most people will perceive and remember the event,  so just observe and enjoy! If you missed it, the next Super Blood moon will occur on January 21, 2019, but if you want a Super Blue Blood Moon be patient.  The next won't occur until January 31, 2037!