By BRAD MAUSHART
For the first time in over 150 years, a super blue blood moon will be visible across most of the globe. This latest celestial event will take place in Indianapolis in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Jan. 31. This phenomenon’s lengthy name can be broken down into three distinct parts, a supermoon, blue moon and blood moon (also known as a lunar eclipse).
A supermoon is a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90 percent of) its closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit. There are typically four to six supermoons per year, though last year there was only one. Every now and then, the cosmos align just right to bring a few supermoons in a row, with the last supermoon earlier in the month and the one before it in December.
What makes this supermoon rare are the other two titles that are tacked on, one of which is “blue.” The original definition of the term “blue moon” came from having four full moons in a season, rather than the normal three per season or 12 per year. This blue moon next week will mark the second full moon in one month, the more common definition of the term nowadays. Due to the calendar quirk, this tends to happen once every 2.7 years or so, which is more uncommon rather than the “once in a blue moon” phrase which usually gets tagged to rare events. The moon itself can in fact appear blue, but it takes an abundance of dust or smoke particles in the atmosphere, which happened after forest fires in Sweden and Canada in 1950 and 1951 and after the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883, which caused the moon to appear blue for nearly two years.
To complete the trifecta, this super blue moon will also coincide with a lunar eclipse, or blood moon. This name does come from the rusty, red color that the moon will become as the moon slides into Earth’s shadow. Total lunar eclipses by themselves are not that rare, usually happening a few times a year. The next total lunar eclipse will take place on July 27, but it will only be visible from South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.
To see this event Wednesday, there will need to be few clouds early Wednesday morning. Right now, there is a 50/50 shot for good to decent viewing conditions. The moon will be up to 14 percent larger than normal and significantly brighter than normal all night.
The total eclipse will begin at 6:48 a.m. (when the moon will start to turn red) and peak just over the horizon (nearly fully eclipsed) at 7:50 a.m. as seen from the west-northwest. Enjoy it while it lasts because the moon will quickly set at 7:53 a.m.