Stargazers across large swaths of the globe — from the streets of Los Angeles to the slopes of a smoldering Philippine volcano — had the chance to witness a rare “super blue blood Moon” Wednesday, when Earth’s shadow bathed our satellite in a coppery hue.
The celestial show was the result of the Sun, Earth, and Moon lining up perfectly for a lunar eclipse just as the Moon is near its closest orbit point to Earth, making it appear “super” large.
It is the second full Moon within the same month, a phenomenon called a “blue” Moon which has nothing to do with its color.
The “blood” in the name comes from the reddish brown color the Moon takes on when Earth enters between it and the sun, cutting off the light rays that usually brighten the lunar surface.
The eclipse began around 3:45 am (1145 GMT), as a black shadow began to devour one corner of the gray-white Moon.
An hour later, the lunar surface was plunged into darkness, known as totality.
Today’s full moon was special for three reasons: it’s the third in a series of “supermoons,” when the Moon is closer to Earth in its orbit — known as perigee — and about 14 percent brighter than usual. It’s also the second full moon of the month, commonly known as a “blue moon.”
Amazing #SuperBlueBloodMoon witnessed in UK. pic.twitter.com/YTyIYqxZiD
— Raza Mehdi (@SyedRezaMehdi) January 31, 2018
In lunisolar calendars the months change with the new Moon and full Moons fall in the middle of the lunar months. This full Moon is the middle of the twelfth month of the Chinese calendar and Shevat in the Hebrew calendar.
The 15th day of Shevat, corresponding with the Full Moon, is the holiday Tu BiShvat.
Tu BiShvat begins at sunset on January 30 and ends at nightfall on January 31). Tu BiShvat is also called “Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot” (literally “New Year of the Trees”). In contemporary Israel, the day is celebrated as an ecological awareness day, and trees are planted in celebration.
In the Islamic calendar the months start with the first sighting of the waxing crescent Moon a few days after the New Moon. This full Moon is near the middle of Jumada al-awwal, the fifth month of the Islamic year.
