Skygazers are in for a triple treat early Wednesday, when a total lunar eclipse occurs during a blue moon and a supermoon. It’s a rare event that some have started to call a “super blue blood moon.”
The blue moon will take place on Jan. 31. The moon will look larger, beam brighter and give off a reddish glow, hence the “blue blood moon” moniker. The last time these three lunar events happened at the same time was in 1982.
The total lunar eclipse will occur when the Earth moves between the sun and the moon, preventing sunlight from reaching the moon. It just so happens to be a blue moon, or the second full moon of the month, as well as a so-called supermoon because the full moon is closer to Earth, looking bigger and more luminous than normal. The next blue moon lunar eclipse during a supermoon will not happen again until 2037.
