Posted on 01/20/2019 6:25:36 PM PST by Redcitizen
Grab your winter coat, some hot cocoa and your kid's telescope on Sunday and head outside because the next super blood wolf moon won’t be showing its face for another 18 years.
While the celestial phenomenon sounds like something you’d read in a teenage werewolf novel, its actual meaning is derived from multiple sources.
The term "super" refers to the placement of the moon. This month, the moon will be at its closest point to Earth’s orbit, making it appear larger than normal.
The term "wolf" derives from the Native American nickname for January's full moon and the wolves who "howled in hunger outside the villages," according to the Farmer’s Almanac.
The term "blood" comes from the way the sun’s light bends and refracts off the Earth's atmosphere and onto the moon’s surface, making it appear red or copper at times. This phenomenon, called "Rayleigh scattering," is also what causes the beautiful colors of our sunrises and sunsets as well as what makes our sky look blue. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California notes, however, that clouds, dust, ash and organic matter in Earth’s atmosphere may change the expected color of a super wolf blood moon.
"We’re not sure what color it will turn. It really depends on the earth’s atmosphere, whether we’ve had storms, volcanic eruptions, all sorts of things," explained Dr. David Reitzel, an astronomer and lecturer at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
The eclipse portion appears to have a reddish tint to it!
The clouds around here are blocking out the moon intermittently - clouds are moving pretty fast … I just checked, moon is about half way shadowed …
Whoaaa, no way I could do that to them. This ain’t North Korea!
About 2/3 there, with the eclipse portion a dark/dull reddish hue!
Reckon I'll stay up until the full eclipse - the rest will be what we've already seen in reverse...
And boy are the coyotes and domestic dogs howling and barking!
I got a slightly hazy moon. Enough to see the eclipse but now fine detail. The moon is half eclipsed now.
Im glad you have a clear view.
Just checked...partial clearing.
Watching the progression.
Did you ride at all today?
1/2 here also. Im in Albuquerque, NM.
1/2 eclipse here. Slightly hazy sky so not so clear. Im in Albuquerque, NM.
Dogs and coyotes aint barking yet.
I don’t blame her. Its 38 degrees here. 1/2 way eclipsed now.
Haha! Cool!
Only 8 degrees here in the Boston area.
.
That’s how we felt. It’s about 19 degrees with a lot of wind here (Metro DC). We can see it, but can’t stay out there - so we’re watching it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVg1Tfy6cTg
(It’s the only live stream that wasn’t too crowded to get in and stay in. I think this youtuber is somewhere in New England.)
It’s going much faster than I thought it would! We have a crystal-clear sky and tons of stars.
No light pollution because we’re not near any city.
I’m going back out. So cool!
Lucky you! It’s hazy buy my binocs do help. It is going quick.
I had those temps a couple weeks ago. The eclipse is nice.
If you don’t, they’ll be asking for tea and biscuits soon.
I don’t know. Here in Kansas it is shaping up as an excellent view. Top half of moon capped with a blue semi-circle and bottom half beginning to display orange. Interesting, but probably not worth another two hours to see the full blossom.
Eclipse ping. Sorry for the late notice.
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