The Super Blood Moon Is Coming Tonight — Are You Ready?
On Sunday, the most of the Americas, Africa and Europe will be treated to a super blood moon, a rare phenomenon that reminds us both that space is awesome and that we shouldn't mess with space. Next one is in 2033, so don't miss it.
When To See It
Sunday evening (September 27th)!
Peak eclipse will be at 2:47 am UT on September 28th—so, 10:47 pm ET on Sunday, September 27th. If you're in the eastern United States, that's good news! You should be able to see the eclipse just fine. The moon will start darkening at 8:11 pm Eastern time, and it will start to pass through the Earth's dark umbral shadow at 9:07 pm. It'll be completely shaded for about an hour starting around 10 pm
[Wired]
How To See It
If you're in the eclipse zone (see below): Go outside. Tilt your head towards the heavens. Maybe even enjoy a glass of wine1 — you've earned it.
If you're not in the shaded area (sorry!), you can watch NASA's livestream of the event.
It Really Is Quite Rare
A total lunar eclipse will share the stage with a so-called supermoon Sunday night or early Monday, depending where you are. That combination hasn't been seen since 1982 and won't happen again until 2033.
[NY Times]
Solar And Lunar Eclipses, Explained
The Science Behind The Supermoon
This weekend, you'll notice the moon blushing. That's because the light reaching the moon is going through our atmosphere, which only lets long-wavelength light pass. This is compounded by excessive amounts of dust and particles in the air, so you'll see a more extreme version of the phenomenon if you live in a smoggy or polluted area (assuming you can see anything at all)…. The moon will be reaching that time of year in its orbit where it's closer to us than ever — 222,000 miles away instead of the typical 240,000. The supermoon this year will appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter in the sky than the average 2015. It will be its best self.
[Inverse]
Apps To Help You Get The Most Out Of The Experience
NASA's directions fail to take into account the many different things that could go wrong during Sunday's lunar tête-à-tête. You could take grainy blood moon Instagram photos. You could get too drunk and pass out before the supermoon eclipse even happens. You could live in a large, booming metropolis where your view of this rare cosmic event is obscured by lights. Luckily, there are a score of handy iOS and Android hacks that can avert these supermoon eclipse crises.
Is There Another Cool Name For This Phenomenon?
We thought you'd never ask. Yes, if you're feeling wacky, you can call it a Mega-Harvest-Blood Moon Total Eclipse.
Wait — Will This Thing Cause Earthquakes?
The long and short is that there is still a lot more research that needs to be done to understand what exactly the influence of the moon (or sun) might be on Earth tectonics. However, it is clear that the relationship is complicated. Merely stating that there are a bunch of alignments and boom! we will have a big earthquake is not scientifically supported — it is a pseudoscience to the core.
[Wired]
