Super Blue Blood Moon of 2018
A rare astronomical event happened last January 31st which the entire West Coast (including the Philippines) was able to witness.
Image Source: NASA tweet
The Super Blue Blood Moon is such a treat because it technically consists of multiple events (super moon, blood moon, blue moon, lunar eclipse -- rolled into one!) that happened in a single night. What's even more amazing is that the last time the Super Blue Blood Moon happened was in 1866! That was more or less 150 years ago! An infographic below from the Philippine Astronomical Society Inc. summarizes how awesome this actually is!
Image Source: Philippine Astronomical Society Inc Facebook post
Eclipse Public Viewing VS an Introvert
Those who know me well are aware that I am IN LOVE with astronomy.
To become an astronaut was my automatic response when asked what I wanted to be when I grow up. (Okay let's not kid ourselves, I STILL want to become an astronaut. And I'm 25.)
I have always been fascinated with stars. A bad day would eventually be capped and ruled out to be a good one when the clear skies at night would paint a glorious display of stars.
When it's a full moon, I would always pray that I could see Luna from my window so when I'm already in bed, she will be the last thing I will see before I sleep.
I am the last person you'd want to call when you want to have your picture taken because my photography skills suck. But seeing how astrophotographers are like astronauts who get to capture even a fracture of glorious celestial objects and phenomena makes me want to study how cameras work and soon, maybe score a decent astrophotography shot.
So there, I am in love with astronomy.
But in public viewing events during a phenomenon like this, anyone who loves astronomy but is not very good with crowds will always find themselves in a quandary.
"Will I even get to use the telescope?"
"There will be too many people. We will just run out of space."
"What if the people are too annoying and they'd just ruin my mood?"
"Can I say no when some media would ask to interview me?"
"These people will just be too loud for my life. I won't enjoy."
"Maybe I can just watch next time."
The sentiments above were just a few of those running in my head prior to the event. But, I have not watched an eclipse ever, and the 150-year clincher had me sold.
I needed to go.
And so I went.
(Part 2 to be posted soon after.)