The U. S. won’t see another super blue blood trio until 2037.
This morning brought a spectacular “super blue blood moon” to the skies. Featuring a trio of supermoon, blue moon and lunar eclipse, the face of our satellite glowed red for viewers in parts of the western U. S. and around the world.
The lunar eclipse as seen from Santa Monica, California, January 31,2018. Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
Don’t worry if you missed the rare lunar treat itself. Newsweek has collected a few of the very best photographs from the incredible celestial display.
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A young boy practices looking through a telescope ahead of the super blue blood moon in Jakarta, Indonesia, January 31,2018. Darren Whiteside/Reuters
A “supermoon” is a popular term for a full moon coinciding with the moon’s closest approach to Earth. The moon’s orbit is elliptical, so it sits nearer to our planet at certain times of the month.
The moon is partially obscured by the Earth’s shadow during the lunar eclipse, pictured from Beijing, China, January 31,2018. Damir Sagolj/Reuters
The closest point in the orbit is called the “perigee,” so astronomers call this a “perigee full moon.”
The lunar eclipse pictured above the Santa Monica Pier ferris wheel in Santa Monica, California. Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
Unfortunately, a “blue moon” doesn’t really glow blue. This term has come to mean the second full moon of the month.
The super blue blood moon hides behind a temple in Bangkok, Thailand, January 31,2018. Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters
January had already seen a full moon on New Year’s Day, making this a blue moon. By rare coincidence, the January 1 full moon was also a supermoon.
The moon comes out of eclipse over a pier in Oceanside, California, January 31,2018. Mike Blake/Reuters
The term “blood moon” refers to a lunar eclipse, which glows an orange-red when it reaches totality. “You’re basically seeing all the world’s sunrises and sunsets at that moment reflected off the surface of the moon, so it should be quite spectacular,” NASA planetary geologist Sarah Noble previously explained to Newsweek .
The lunar eclipse is pictured behind a statue at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station in Mumbai, India, January 31,2018. Danish Siddiqui/Reuters
A lunar eclipse takes place when the sun, moon and Earth line up in such a way that the shadow of the Earth shadow obscures the moon. The eclipse is visible to those areas experiencing nighttime during this astronomical maneuver.
The partially eclipsed super blue moon sets behind San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge, January 31,2018. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Don’t miss out on the next super blue blood moon to grace U. S. skies. According to NASA, another supermoon, blue moon and lunar eclipse trifecta will be visible exactly 19 years from today on January 31,2037.
