photo by Tracy F
January 29,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, on January 31 it will be the last chance you will have to see a supermoon this year. To witness the supersize moon in all its glory, look to the skies just after sunset. The lower the moon sits in the sky, the larger it appears because of something called the “moon illusion.”
In the early hours of January 31, the moon will do something it hasn’t since 1866. A supermoon, blue moon and lunar eclipse will coincide for a rare and spectacular astronomical feast.
The moon doesn’t orbit the Earth in a perfect circle, which means it sometimes sits closer to the earth than usual. When the moon’s closest approach or “perigee”coincides with a full moon, it can look bigger and brighter. This is known as a “supermoon,” but the technical term is “perigee full moon.
A “Blue moon” has come to mean the second full moon in a calendar month. No it doesn’t actually shine blue.
You can also watch a live stream from the comfort of your home. NASA will broadcast live coverage of the super blue blood moon from 5.30 a.m. ET January 31. The Virtual Telescope Project will follow the event from Australia and the U.S., beaming the eclipse from 6.30 a.m. ET. The VTP will also stream the non-eclipsed super blue moon from Rome starting from 11 a.m. ET.