The full moon will be a bit larger than usual because it occurs at a point along its elliptical orbit around the earth that is closer than normal.
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People interested in seeing the event can simply step outside Sunday evening to see the lunar phenomenon. LRO scientists embrace new possibilities, extending their scientific exploration to include eclipses and other events that can reveal more of the moon’s secrets.
Why Will the Moon Look Bigger? Unfortunately for us here in Hawaii, the lunar eclipse ends right as the moon rises tonight.
The last super blood moon happened more than 30 years ago in 1982 and another isn’t expected until 18 years from now in 2033. But it doesn’t totally shade the moon, some light with longer wavelengths passes through Earth’s atmosphere thanks to refraction and the moon appears reddish.
In the previous week, there were reports made that the super “blood moon” was even thought of as apocalyptic. It also will be the second full moon within a month, an unusual occurrence behind the phrase, “Once in a blue moon”. On Monday, the moon’s elliptical orbit will bring it about 50,000 kilometers closer to the Earth than when it is at its farthest point. While that happens, almost every color but red is “filtered” out of the light, giving the moon its red appearance. However, on Sunday we will clearly see this shadow play unfold with the Earth’s shadow in the East… and the Earth’s shadow on the moon.
If such an area is available, observers can choose to stay indoors and see tune in to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center’s live coverage of the event via its UStream channel.
Dedicated sky watchers were rewarded on Sunday night, Eastern Standard Time, with a supermoon in full eclipse.
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“Throughout human history, lunar eclipses have been viewed with awe and sometimes fear”, NASA said in a statement.
