AFTER 36 years, a full moon on Jan. 31 will showcase a rare combination of three lunar events, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said Monday.
At a news conference at Pagasa’s Science Garden in Quezon City, Dario dela Cruz, Space Science and Astronomy Section chief, said a rare super blue blood moon or the combination of a blue moon, blood moon or total lunar eclipse and a super moon would appear at the same time tomorrow.
“The phenomenon can be viewed all over the Philippines, but can be best viewed at Mt. Mayon,” he told reporters.
“Eruptions of Mt. Volcano leave suspended particles in the air, thus making the blood moon’s shade of red darker [and more beautiful],” weather specialist II Mario Raymundo told the Manila Standard.
Dr. Cynthia Celebre of Pagasa’s Research and Development and Training Division, along with Dela Cruz and Raymundo, however, said the episodes of volcanic activities of Mt. Mayon “has nothing to do with the phenomenon.”
“People would associate the super blue blood moon to Mayon Volcano’s eruptions but the volcanic activities occurred on Jan. 13,” Celebre said.
According to Dela Cruz, the lunar eclipses are safe to watch, and that stargazers need not use any kind of protective eye filters.
A binocular of telescope will help magnify the view, he said.
A total lunar eclipse will occur on Jan. 31 at 6:49 p.m. until the following day at 12:09 a.m., while a full moon which showed up on Jan. 2 at 10:24 a.m. would take place again on Jan. 31 at 9:27 p.m. called as super moon.
What exactly is the super blue blood moon event tomorrow? Or what some call the spectacular end to a supermoon trilogy.
Some say a blue moon is the second of two full moons occurring in the same month that only happens every two to three years.
On the other hand, a blood moon usually occurs during a total lunar eclipse, wherein the color of the moon turns to red or copper color.
The last occurrence of a super blue blood moon was on Dec. 30, 1982.
Seeing a super blue blood moon this week has got people excited for all kinds of reasons.
It’s the combination of a total lunar eclipse with a blood moon, plus a supermoon and a blue moon.
A Blue Moon gets its name when it is the second of two full moons to appear in the same calendar month, according to weather specialists.
The first one of 2018 took place on Jan. 1 and the second is on Jan. 31.
The celestial phenomenon, which occurs on Jan. 31, will combine three separate lunar spectacles—a blue moon, a supermoon and a total lunar eclipse.
Despite the famous saying, a blue moon rises every two years or so and occurs when two full moon fall in the same calendar month.
This will be joined by a supermoon, when the moon orbits closest to the Earth, making it appear about 14 percent larger.
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the moon will be 223,068 miles (358,993 kms) from Earth, rather than the usual 238,855 miles (384,399 kms).
If that wasn’t enough, there will also be a total lunar eclipse. The eclipse will make it a blood moon by giving it a reddish hue.
For spectators in North America, this will be the first time all three events occur simultaneously since 1866—more than 150 years ago—though other parts of the world did experience a blue moon total lunar eclipse in December 1982.
Each of the separate events occur very sporadically so to have all three fall on the same day is an opportunity too good to miss for astronomers, according to spacialists.
The next blue moon total lunar eclipse won’t be until Dec. 31, 2028, according to NASA.
Jan. 31 will mark the last in the space agency’s so-called ’Supermoon Trilogy,’ the first of which rose at the start of December.
