Tonight (31 Jan), the Moon Will Be Super Big & Super Red. Here Are Where to See It

Calling all astrophiles, today is a special day where you will witness a super blue blood moon.

Image: Giphy

For those who are bamboozled (like me), let me break it down for you.

Supermoon

As the moniker suggests, the Moon will appear 14% bigger and 30% brighter.

But you won’t be able to tell the difference under the naked eye.

The supermoon occurs when the Moon is closest to Earth (aka perigee) in its elliptic orbit.

Blue moon

It has nothing to do with the Moon turning blue.

It means that it is the second full moon in a calendar month.

This is a rather common phenomenon, occurring every two years or so.

Lunar eclipse

Not to be confused with the solar eclipse, this is when the Moon turns red as the sunlight is blocked by the earth’s shadow and the light seen is refracted through the Earth’s shadow.

Image: Natee Jitthammachai / shutterstock.com

Coz’ of Rayleigh scattering, the light turns red—that is why sometimes we get paddle pop skies in the evening—and that’s why it looks like a murder happened on the Moon.

Why is it special

These three lunar events will be happening at the same time today—the lunar holy trinity.

According to Sky and Telescope magazine, the last time a “blue moon” total lunar eclipse occurred was in 1866!

Where to catch it

According to Channel NewsAsia, the moon will be visible from 7:48 P.M. and you catch it at the Science Centre if you want a more exciting experience.

You can also view it without leaving your room as Nasa will be streaming this rare phenomenon online.

And if you miss it, the next blue moon total lunar eclipse is on 31 December 2028, but it won’t look as big as today’s!

Since you’re here, why not watch a video about a guy who lodged a Police report here in Singapore because he was friendzoned? Seriously. Here, watch it and do remember to share it (and also subscribe to Goody Feed YouTube channel)!

This article was first published on goodyfeed.com

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Featured image: Chris Ricco  / shutterstock.com