Skywatchers will be presented with a triple treat tonight: a Blue Moon, a Super Moon, and a lunar eclipse. And what makes the event even more special, they’ll all be viewable at the same time. Managing editor Tami Roleff has the details…
A Blue Moon is when two full moons happen in the same calendar month. A Super Moon is when the moon’s perigee—its closest approach to the Earth in its orbit—coincides with a full moon. A lunar eclipse happens when the moon passes into the Earth’s shadow. On the night of January 30 and early morning hours of January 31, residents in southern California will be able to see all three events, at the same time. The Blue Moon and Super Moon will rise in southern California about 4:44 p.m. Tuesday, January 30 (with the official full moon at 5:26 a.m. January 31). The lunar eclipse will start at 3:48 a.m. in the early morning hours of January 31. At 4:51 a.m., the total phase of the lunar eclipse will start. Totality ends at 6:07 a.m. January 31, and the moon sets at 6:55 a.m. The moon will emerge from the umbra, or shadow, at 7:11 a.m., after it has set in our area.
TRIPLE TREAT BLUE, SUPER, ECLIPSING MOON IN THE DESERT SKY
