People In The Philippines See 'Super Blue Blood Moon' Grace The Skies

Nov 27, 2018 by apost team

Astronomers, both professional and amateur, were treated to a rare celestial event known as a “super blue blood moon” on January 31, 2018. The last recorded super blue blood moon was seen over 150 years ago. In a super blue blood moon, the moon is at its closest point to the Earth, and it combines a blue moon with a lunar eclipse.

People in the Philippines could go to the Pagasa Astronomical Observatory at Quezon City’s University of the Philippines Dilman. There were at least five telescopes set up for the public, while another telescope was set up just for photographers. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services (Pagasa) livestreamed the moon with another telescope.

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According to Pagasa, the lunar eclipse started at 6:49 p.m. and reached its peak at 9:29 p.m.

A Pagasa weather observer named Lordnico Mendoza noted that people could see the super blood moon with the naked eye – assuming the weather was good and there were clear skies. Unfortunately, the extended weather forecast was calling for a cold front that could last until February 2.

The super blue blood moon was also visible in Australia, western North America, and parts of Russia, Asia, and the Middle East.

What is a “super blue blood moon?”

A super blue blood moon is a combination of three celestial events that happen at the same time. A blue moon is simply the second full moon of a month, and it usually isn’t really blue. Anybody who has a lunar calendar knows that there is usually only one full moon per month. The idiom “once in a blue moon,” which dates back to the 19th century, thus refers to a rare event.

The moon’s orbit around the Earth is elliptical, which means that the distance between the moon and the Earth isn’t constant. The apogee describes the greatest distance between the two bodies, while the perigee is the smallest distance.

When the moon is at its perigee or around 361,000 kilometers from the Earth, it naturally looks bigger and brighter than usual. In fact, a supermoon can appear 30 percent brighter and 14 percent larger.

A blood moon occurs during a lunar eclipse. The sunlight that is reflected by the atmosphere gives the moon, which is in the Earth’s shadow, a reddish tint.

How rare are these celestial events?

Jason Aufdenberg is the associate professor of physics and astronomy at Florida’s Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. According to his calculations, the last super blue blood moon occurred on May 31, 1844, and it could be seen from the eastern United States.

The astronomy magazine “Sky & Telescope” states that the last blue moon and total lunar eclipse combination that could be seen in North America took place on March 31, 1866. According to the magazine, the moon was near its apogee, so it actually appeared smaller and dimmer than usual.

While super blue blood moons are extremely rare, other celestial events are more common. Super moons, for example, can happen four to six times a year. Lunar eclipses take place at least twice every year. Blue moons actually are fairly rare and happen once every 32 months.

Lunar eclipses and super moons occur together fairly regularly. The last one was seen in September 2015. People in the United States will be able to see the next super moon/ total lunar eclipse on January 21, 2019. It will be visible throughout the continental US.

The next blue blood moon will take place on New Year’s Eve, 2028, and the next super blue blood moon will take place on January 31, 2037.

According to NASA, eclipses cause the moon’s surface to cool quickly. When NASA scientists observe the moon through thermal cameras during a lunar eclipse, they can study features that are normally less noticeable. For example, some craters appear to “glow” because the surrounding rocks stay warm.

Have you ever seen a super blue blood moon in person? Let us know what it was like in the comments! Don't forget to show your friends and family this amazing feat of nature.