Solar observers around the world will get to experience the rare Super Blood Wolf Moon on Sunday, January 20 and running through early morning on Monday, January 21. The total lunar eclipse will be the last total lunar eclipse until 2022 in North America.
The name “supermoon” comes from the moon being at its closest point to the Earth, while the “wolf” term comes from the nickname for January’s full moon.
Walter Freeman, assistant teaching professor at Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences’ physics department explained to CNN what will be happening during the event.
“Viewers will see a normal full moon at first starting at around 10:35 p.m. Eastern time,” said Freeman “At that time, the Earth’s shadow will begin to pass in front of the moon, blocking almost all of the sun’s light from reaching it. Observers will see the moon appear to be progressively ‘swallowed up’ starting from the lower left.
“This process will end at 11:40 p.m., when the Earth’s shadow covers the whole of the moon’s surface; this is the beginning of ‘totality.’ This will last until around 12:40 a.m., when the motion of the Earth’s shadow will carry it past the moon, and the moon will gradually again be lit by the sun. At 1:45 a.m., the moon will be fully visible again.”
All of the information you need to watch the Super Blood Wolf Moon can be seen below.
Super Blood Wolf Moon: Viewing Information & Details
Date: Sunday, January 20
Time: Begins 10:35 p.m. ET through 1:51 a.m. ET on January 21.
Where Is It Visible:
How To Watch: The total lunar eclipse will be seen in North and South America, Europe, and Western Africa. The rest of the world, however, will only see a partial eclipse with the exception being northwestern France, NW Spain, and NW Portugal, with the northeastern tip of Russia seeing a total eclipse.
How To Watch Online: Virtual Telescope Project | Live Stream 2