Here's When You Should Head Outside For The Super Blue Blood Moon
If you consider yourself to be a moon child, you know the sky has blessed us with particularly stunning events over the past year. Whether you were able to experience only a couple of these happenings, or faithfully watched them all, I'm sure none of them let you down. Lucky for us, 2018 is off to an awesome start. In just a few days, a lunar phenomenon is taking place that's going to blow your mind. What is it, might you ask? The Super Blue Blood Moon will occur on Jan. 31, so get your cameras ready. With such an epic name, there are probably a lot of questions floating through your mind, including, what time is the Super Blue Blood Moon? Of course, you have to plan accordingly to snap the perfect pic for the 'Gram.
Let's start off with some background basics and work our way there, shall we? Ever since we were little kids, space has never ceased to amaze us. The galaxy is massive, and there is so much out there that has yet to be discovered and explored. The lunar happenings above seem to get even more captivating the older we get. Seriously though, The Super Blue Blood Moon sounds like a cool name for a milkshake or something. I know I'd be all over that. Unfortunately, that's not really what it is.
The Super Blue Blood Moon has a few tricks up its sleeve. Let's get into the details.
What Is The Super Blue Blood Moon?
According to Space.com, two full moons have to occur within the same month for the moon to be considered a Blue Moon. You might remember the first full moon we had on New Year's Day (dubbed the Wolf Moon) — which, BTW, was super rad and made us hopeful for new beginnings in 2018.
As far as the Blood Moon portion of it, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the moon isn't going to look all gory and horror movie-ish. Actually, it's going to take on a slight reddish hue that'll make your jaw drop.
Last but not least, let's cover our final base — why is it a supermoon? The eclipse will take place when the moon is much closer to the Earth than normal, meaning you'll get an even better front row seat to the lunar event. According to Space.com, the moon will look 14 percent bigger and 30 percent more vibrant than it usually does.
What Time Can I Watch It Happen?
Luckily for you, since the Super Blue Blood Moon isn't happening until Wednesday, Jan. 31, you still have some time to scope out the perfect moon viewing location, or get your party plans in order. Before you do, of course, you'll need some essential details.
The nice thing about a lunar eclipse — as opposed to a solar eclipse — is that you can watch this happen almost anywhere, provided that it's nighttime. Where you're located on the grid does, however, come into play when deciding on just what time you'll get a prime view of the moon's show.
To take in the best views of the celestial event, set up camp someplace flat, where no lights, hills, or buildings will block the moon for you. Space.com reveals that the lunar show will be much better the further west you live. To get the breakdown on times, they're here to help. If you're in New York, you're going to want to look up around 6:48 a.m. in the morning. If you're in Denver, focus your gaze up at the eclipse at 3:51 a.m., and people who live in Cali, look up at 4:51 a.m. Anyone feel like pulling an all nighter?
