Skywatchers
have been enjoying a rare ‘super blood Moon’ as the Earth’s natural satellite turned a
stunning shade of red.
The celestial event, which is also this year’s only
total lunar eclipse, generated plenty of buzz. “Visible for its entirety
in North and South America, this eclipse is referred to by some as a super
blood moon – ‘super’ because the Moon will be closest to Earth in its orbit
during the full moon and ‘blood’ because the total lunar eclipse will turn the
Moon a reddish hue,” explains NASA, in a statement.
The
entire eclipse was also visible across the Atlantic to western and northern
Europe.
A lunar eclipse progresses behind
the "Monumento a la Carta Magna y Las Cuatro Regiones Argentinas" in
Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Across
much of the globe, photographers pointed their cameras skyward to capture the
rare event. In New York, for example, clusters of photographers braved sub-zero
temperatures to capture the eclipse above the city’s famous skyline.
Waiting for the #superbloodmoon over Manhattan pic.twitter.com/0CrCGrqvE0— James Rogers (@jamesjrogers) January 21, 2019
A total lunar
eclipse occurs when the entire Moon enters Earth’s shadow. Earth’s
atmosphere is responsible for the Moon’s color change during the eclipse. “As
sunlight passes through it, the small molecules that make up our atmosphere
scatter blue light, which is why the sky appears blue,” explains NASA, on
its website. “This leaves behind mostly red light that
bends, or refracts, into Earth’s shadow. We can see the red light during an
eclipse as it falls onto the Moon in Earth’s shadow.”
The phenomenon is also referred to as a “super wolf
blood Moon.” According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the January full Moon was dubbed
the “wolf” Moon by native Americans because it occurred at a time of year when
wolves would be howling with hunger.
The super blood Moon visible
above One World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan.
The total lunar
eclipse started at 11:41 p.m. EST on Jan. 20, with the moment of greatest
eclipse occurring at 12:12 a.m. EST on Jan. 21, according to NASA. The total eclipse ended at 12:43 a.m. EST on Jan.
21.
Earth Sky notes that the next total lunar eclipse will not
occur until May 26, 2021.
As
for full-moon supermoons, this will be the first of three this year. This
supermoon is about 222,000 miles away. The Feb. 19 supermoon will be a bit
closer and the one on March 20 will be the farthest.
A blood moon, set to be the last
of its kind for two years, rises above the 'Maritime Prowess' by Albert
Hemstock Hodge on the Guild Hall ahead of the Lunar Eclipse, in Hull, England,
Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019.
This photo shows the
moon during a total lunar eclipse, seen from Los Angeles, Sunday Jan. 20, 2019. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
The
Moon continues to be a source of fascination. China, for example, recently became the first country to successfully land a spacecraft on the far side of
the Moon. In December a checklist that traveled to the surface of the Moon
with Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin was sold at auction in New York for $62,500.
The super blood Moon photographed
above One World Trade Center in Manhattan.
2019 also marks the 50th anniversary of the historic
Apollo 11 Moon landing.
The Associated Press and Fox News’ Jennifer Earl contributed to
this article.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
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