What Is a Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse?

The new year is already proving to be full of excitement as we prepare for several astronomical phenomena, including what's super blood wolf moon eclipse coming later this January.

At 12:12 a.m. ET on Jan. 21, a rare lunar phenomenon known as a super blood wolf moon eclipse will be visible in the night skies over North and South America and western parts of Europe and Africa.

While some experts call it by the collective name, a super blood wolf moon eclipse actually refers to three concurrent cosmic events.

The total lunar eclipse, which will be visible from the United States for the first time in three years, will happen as the Earth is positioned directly between the sun and the moon. The Earth will cast its shadow on the moon, and give it a blood-orange color.

Because the moon will be at its closest point to Earth, the moon will look even bigger and much brighter, causing it to be also known as a supermoon.

While its additional status as a wolf moon may sound ominous, the term is just another name for the first full moon of the year – which just happens to occur simultaneously with the other lunar events in 2019.

The year will also witness several other planetary occurrences, kicking off with a partial solar eclipse on Jan. 6, including a rare transit of Mercury on Nov. 11 and ending with an annular solar eclipse on Dec. 26.

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