In the night between January 20 and 21, the moon will pass into the shadow cast by Earth. Anyone in North and South America — as well as portions of Northern Europe and the northwest coast of Africa — will be able to see the full eclipse, which will entirely cover the moon for an hour and two minutes.
What’s more, the moon will be near its closest approach to Earth, making it a “supermoon,” meaning it will appear very slightly larger in the sky. It will also be the last total lunar eclipse until May 2021. So check it out!
What is a super blood wolf moon?
A super blood wolf moon is a combination of three astronomical events — all happening Sunday night.
A wolf moon is the first full moon of the year, named for wolf packs heard outside Native American villages this time of year, according to The Farmers’ Almanac.
A supermoon is a full moon that happens when the moon also is at the closest point in its orbit to Earth, making the moon appear slightly larger. There will be two more supermoons this year — Feb. 19 and March 21 — but the January supermoon will be the closest and appear the biggest.
A blood moon is another name for a lunar eclipse, which makes the moon appear red.
What is a lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse happens when the full moon passes through Earth’s shadow. When it passes through the darkest part of the shadow, sunlight refracted by our atmosphere makes the moon appear red.
The January 2019 lunar eclipse will be visible to all of North and South America, local weather permitting.
What time is the January 2019 lunar eclipse?
The January 2019 lunar eclipse begins at 8:36 p.m. Sunday and lasts until 1:48 a.m. Monday (Central time), starting and ending as the moon passes through the penumbra, the lighter part of Earth’s shadow.
The moon will not become noticeably darker or redder until it passes through the umbra, the darker part of the shadow, between 9:33 p.m. to 12:50 a.m.
Full eclipse, where the entire moon appears red, will be 10:41 p.m. Sunday to 11:43 a.m. Monday, with maximum eclipse at 11:12 a.m.
When is the next total lunar eclipse?
This will be the last total eclipse we’ll see for a few years. The next one anywhere will be May 26, 2021, but that will only be partially visible for most of the U.S.
We will see penumbral lunar eclipses in 2020, on July 4 and Nov. 30, but they will not have the same reddening effect as a total eclipse.
