Tonight’s full moon is the second in January, making it the first Blue Moon of 2018 – and there’s another one at the end of March.
It’s also being considered a Super Moon as it will appear something like 14% bigger and brighter – if it appears at all in our cloud hogged skies.
Lunar Eclipse
A supermoon also as it happens that it’s near its perigee, or the closest point in its orbit to the Earth.
In the course of the morning also there will be an eclipse of the moon turning it a reddish color which has become known as a blood moon. However, we’re not going to see that on this side of the world.
Clear View Unlikely
While scientists are excitedly observing all the lunar happenings in parts of the world lucky enough to have a clear view, it is extremely unlikely that we will have the luck or the luxury of such a look in.
The last ‘Super Blue Blood Moon’ happened in 1866, and, according to a spokesman for Astronomy Ireland, it won’t happen again until 2037.
A Super Moon occurs when the moon that is closer to the Earth and it appears bigger and brighter as it did for the last couple of nights.
Within a Calendar Month
A Blue Moon is so called when a second full moon falls within the one calendar month and there will be another at the end of March and then, not again until October 2020.
A Blood Moon occurs when sunlight passes through the Earth’s atmosphere and casts a dark colour across the surface of the moon.
If it does happen that viewing conditions are right, the general advice is that you head for the hills and away from bright lights to get a good view and photographs.
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