It would be hard for any astronomical event to upstage last summer’s solar eclipse.
But a Super Blue Red Moon total lunar eclipse isn’t a bad attempt.
On Wednesday, all in one day although not all at the same time, the moon will be full, super, “red,” “blue” and totally eclipsed.
And when that’s over, there will be another moon-related oddity that occurs once every 19 years.
The lunar activity begins just before dawn Wednesday, at 6:51 a.m., when a lunar eclipse will reach its height, said Art Maurer, director of the Herbert Trackman Planetarium at Joliet Junior College.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and moon are exactly aligned, causing the moon to pass through the Earth’s shadow, or umbra, Maurer said.
You’re probably wondering how you can see an eclipse if it’s already dark out.
Well, Maurer said, as the moon sets on Wednesday morning, the rising sun’s rays will scatter across the atmosphere, sending red colors downward toward the moon, causing it to take on a reddish color, prompting many to refer to it as a “blood” moon, Maurer said.
But come sunset later that day, the moon, which will be full for the second time in January, earning it the title “blue moon,” will also appear as a super moon, because of how close the Earth will be to its lone satellite.
“There’s nothing really special about a blue moon. Two full moons in one month occurs quite often,” Maurer said. “In fact, there will be another blue moon in March.”
But the Jan. 31 blue moon will start the day red and be of super moon size, he said.
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That’s kind of special.
“What is more fascinating,” he added, “is that there isn’t going to be a full moon at all in February.”
It’s almost as if the astronomy gods are saying, “Hey, we’re packing a lot into the last day of January and taking February off,” but the phenomenon is really due to February’s fewer number of days and a full moon rising just on the cusp of the month’s start.
A month without a full month, he said, “is very rare.
“That only happens once every 19 years,” he said. So, the next month without one will be in the year 2037.
All of this, he said, is reason to look up Wednesday, both before dawn and after sunset.
Set the alarm early and go outside to try and catch a glimpse of the eclipse.
Don’t get your hopes up too much, though, Maurer added. Pollution often makes it hard to see a lunar eclipse on the horizon. And the excitement will be over by sunrise, which is set for 7:03 that day.
But the lucky ones who do catch a glimpse of it may also notice the Earth’s curvature.
It was from lunar eclipses, Maurer said, that ancient stargazers first realized the Earth was round.
If the eclipse doesn’t work out for you, Maurer said, set your astronomical sites on the evening.
You have a better chance of catching a glimpse of the super moon anyway, he said, mainly because it will be big and higher in the sky. That, he added, is a reason to step away from the television set.
The blue super moon will be slightly smaller than the super moon that appeared on Jan. 1, he said. “But most people won’t be able to tell.”
Super moons occur when the Earth and moon are at their closest. The average distance between the two heavenly bodies is 238,800 miles, he said. But on Wednesday, in the evening, at its absolute closest, the moon will be some 50,000 miles closer.
And that’s just Wednesday’s show, Maurer said.
The universe is always up to something, he added.
Like all sciences, astronomy is ever-changing, Maurer said, citing an old joke in which a student asks, “Hey, aren’t these the same questions that were on last year’s test?” and the teacher replies, “Yeah, but this year the answers are different.”
Among the biggest changes in the field right now is a phenomenon happening here on Earth, he said.
Momentum.
Since hype began early last year for the Aug. 21, 2017 solar eclipse, interest in astronomy has been growing, well, “astronomically,” he said.
Maurer has seen his public star shows at the Trackman Planetarium double in attendance.
“Kids are always interested. Even the first graders are very, very into it,” he said. “Most astronomers today fell in love with it in grammar school. They got hooked young. I think because that’s when they have vivid imaginations. I’ve been interested since second grade.”
Although the science is laden with math and physics, he said, you don’t have to be a genius to appreciate the heavens.
Anyone can look up at the sky and wonder. Anyone can search for patterns and constellations. Anyone can marvel at stars and comets and heavenly bodies.
Anyone, he said, can be an amateur astronomer.
If you want to learn more, Maurer advises you go to http://www.heavens-above.com, which is the same website that astronomers around the world visit. To learn more about the Trackman Planetarium, go to www.jjc.edu/about-jjc/facilities/herbert-trackman-planetarium More Top Picks Kitchenaid K150 3 Speed Ice Crushing Blender
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