What the hell is the 'super blue blood moon' anyway?
So, by now you've probably heard that a special and rare full moon will rise on Wednesday.
This so-called "super blue blood moon" sounds like a big deal. But when you break it all down, what exactly makes this moon so unusual?
The answer lies in its ridiculous name.
First of all, this full moon is a "supermoon," meaning that it's at its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit during full phase.
This effectively means that the moon will look about 14 percent brighter than it does when the full moon is at its farthest point from the Earth. That said, don't worry if you can't tell the difference between this supermoon and your average full moon, because it likely won't look all that much brighter to most casual observers.
This full moon is also a "blue moon," meaning that it's the second full moon of the calendar month. January's first full moon rose on Jan. 1, making the Jan. 31 full moon a blue moon.
Perhaps the most impressive (and visually noticeable) part of this lunar event is the fact that it's also a "blood" moon. This exceedingly dramatic name is given to the full moon during a total lunar eclipse.
During this kind of eclipse, the moon moves fully into Earth's dark shadow, making the natural satellite glow with a creepy red pallor for those lucky enough to see it.
This particular total lunar eclipse will be visible to people on the West Coast of the United States.
“Weather permitting, the West Coast, Alaska and Hawaii will have a spectacular view of totality from start to finish,” NASA's Gordon Johnston said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, eclipse viewing will be more challenging in the Eastern time zone. The eclipse begins at 5:51 AM ET, as the Moon is about to set in the western sky, and the sky is getting lighter in the east.”
That said, if you miss this eclipse, don't worry. You'll have another chance to see a total lunar eclipse on Jan. 21, 2019, which should be visible across the U.S.
Miriam Kramer worked as a staff writer for Space.com for about 2.5 years before joining Mashable to cover all things outer space. She took a ride in weightlessness on a zero-gravity flight and watched rockets launch to space from places around the United States. Miriam received her Master's degree in science, health and environmental reporting from New York University in 2012, and she originally hails from Knoxville, Tennessee. Follow Miriam on Twitter at @mirikramer.
