Get ready to have a truly terrestrial experience on Wednesday night.
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A Super Blood Blue Moon will take place starting from 9.51pm in Wollongong on January 31, 2018, and Australia will have the best vantage points for viewing.
This is the third supermoon in what NASA has dubbed the “supermoon trilogy”: three supermoons in swift succession.
On December 3, the "cold moon" supermoon rose in the evening. On January 1, the wolf moon supermoon rose.
But it's the Super Blood Blue Moon rising on the night of January 31 that has night sky enthusiasts really excited.
It is a lunar trifecta as there will be three phenomena happening all at once to create a true spectacle which will take longer than five hours from start to finish.
This is how it will happen:
Blue moon: This is a reference to the second full moon in a month. This is because lunar months are a little shorter than solar ones leading to an extra moon during the year.
Super moon: This happens when the moon is at its closest to the earth during its orbit. Because of this the moon will appear much bigger in the sky and about 30 per cent brighter.
Blood moon: The blood colour of the moon happens during a lunar eclipse as the sun, earth and moon align while the moon passes through the earth’s shadow. The red colour is caused by sunlight refracting around the earth.
Super Blood Blue Moon Phases
For Wollongong
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
9.51pm – The earth’s penumbral (shadow) starts touching the moon’s face
10.48pm – Partial eclipse begins with the moon starting to go red
11.51pm – Total eclipse starts – it is a full blood (red) moon
12.29am – Maximum eclipse – The moon is closest to the centre of the shadow
1.07am – Total eclipse ends as the shadow begins to pass
2.11am – partial moon eclipse ends
3.08am – the earth’s shadow has passed.
Source: Timeanddate.com
Don’t forget to send in your photos
The Illawarra Mercury would love to see your photos of the Super Blood Blue Moon.
Post them to our Facebook page or send them to cos@illawarramercury.com.au