Blue Moon, Blood Moon, Super Moon and Lunar Eclipse

Blue Moon, Blood Moon, Super Moon and Lunar Eclipse

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Discussion

Eric Mc

Original Poster:

121,897 posts

265 months

Wednesday 31st January 2018
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Today we have a rare combination of lunar events all happening at more or less the same time -

Blue Moon - two full moons in one calendar month

Blood Moon/Eclipse - lunar eclipse which should look red (unfortunately, the eclipse is not visible in the UK or Europe)

Super Moon - the full moon coincides with the moon's closes approach to earth


Nom de ploom

4,890 posts

174 months

Wednesday 31st January 2018
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won't all be visible from the UK either sadly but I think its set for a cloudy evening aswell up north....

should be quite a sight for those that can see it though

funkyrobot

18,789 posts

228 months

Wednesday 31st January 2018
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Sooooooooo want it to be clear tonight. Forecast isn't great for where I am though.

funkyrobot

18,789 posts

228 months

Wednesday 31st January 2018
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Sky clear and the moon already looks amazing.

Eric Mc

Original Poster:

121,897 posts

265 months

Wednesday 31st January 2018
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Just popped up over the rooftops of the houses across the road. Looks quite impressive - although the moon always looks bigger when low down.

Mr Trophy

6,808 posts

203 months

Wednesday 31st January 2018
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When can we see it from or are we too late?

grumbledoak

31,529 posts

233 months

Wednesday 31st January 2018
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It was very impressive as I walked home; it genuinely looked about four times it's normal size (in area).

funkyrobot

18,789 posts

228 months

Wednesday 31st January 2018
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Eric Mc said:
Just popped up over the rooftops of the houses across the road. Looks quite impressive - although the moon always looks bigger when low down.
It sure does.

Was just watching it with my 3 year old daughter and I'm sure the ISS went by.

funkyrobot

18,789 posts

228 months

Wednesday 31st January 2018
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Mr Trophy said:
When can we see it from or are we too late?
Its currently in the East but it will be around most, it not all of the night.

Best time to see it around midnight. We just get the blue super moon in the UK.

Lincolnshire has clouded over now so it's ruining it for me.

jmorgan

36,010 posts

284 months

Wednesday 31st January 2018
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No cloud here..... yet
Apple Photos Document by Jeff, on Flickr

Edit. Spoke too soon.

Simpo Two

85,333 posts

265 months

Wednesday 31st January 2018
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I don't get all the excitement. The moon has been doing exactly the same thing for millions of years. It orbits the Earth. It looks a bit bigger when it's nearer, and a bit red when there's dust in the atmosphere. Why suddenly all this hype? It's just the fking moon!

Beati Dogu

8,881 posts

139 months

Wednesday 31st January 2018
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Because it happens once in a blue moon.

funkyrobot

18,789 posts

228 months

Wednesday 31st January 2018
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Just been outside. Bit cloudy but it's so bright. Really is lightening things up.

jmorgan

36,010 posts

284 months

Thursday 1st February 2018
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Simpo Two said:
I don't get all the excitement. The moon has been doing exactly the same thing for millions of years. It orbits the Earth. It looks a bit bigger when it's nearer, and a bit red when there's dust in the atmosphere. Why suddenly all this hype? It's just the fking moon!
Hard to tell the difference in size once it is up but I saw a few local to me popping out the back door to go "oooooh" . If it peaks their interest crack on, though winter watch did say it looked bigger.......

Eric Mc

Original Poster:

121,897 posts

265 months

Thursday 1st February 2018
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Simpo Two said:
I don't get all the excitement. The moon has been doing exactly the same thing for millions of years. It orbits the Earth. It looks a bit bigger when it's nearer, and a bit red when there's dust in the atmosphere. Why suddenly all this hype? It's just the fking moon!
It wasn't that big a deal really, but the astronomical community likes to encourage the average citizen to "look up" and therefore make the most of relatively rare phenomenon.

As explained in my opening post, having three lunar phenomenon all happening in a 24 hour period is fairly rare.

The increase in size of the moon when it is at perigee is not really that obvious (it's about 10% bigger in realty) but the APPARENT increase when it is low in the sky is a well known phenomenon and is usually referred to as "The Moon Illusion". It was the subject of a very interesting "Sky at Night" episode back in the 1970s.

MartG

20,661 posts

204 months

Thursday 1st February 2018
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Nice pic taken from Florida last night


227bhp

10,203 posts

128 months

Thursday 1st February 2018
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^^ Good pic.

The clearest view I had of it was when I was getting up this morning.

funkyrobot

18,789 posts

228 months

Thursday 1st February 2018
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Eric Mc said:
Simpo Two said:
I don't get all the excitement. The moon has been doing exactly the same thing for millions of years. It orbits the Earth. It looks a bit bigger when it's nearer, and a bit red when there's dust in the atmosphere. Why suddenly all this hype? It's just the fking moon!
It wasn't that big a deal really, but the astronomical community likes to encourage the average citizen to "look up" and therefore make the most of relatively rare phenomenon.

As explained in my opening post, having three lunar phenomenon all happening in a 24 hour period is fairly rare.

The increase in size of the moon when it is at perigee is not really that obvious (it's about 10% bigger in realty) but the APPARENT increase when it is low in the sky is a well known phenomenon and is usually referred to as "The Moon Illusion". It was the subject of a very interesting "Sky at Night" episode back in the 1970s.
Let's not forget that the moon won't be doing its thing forever either.

We won't have solar eclipses like we do now forever.

jmorgan

36,010 posts

284 months

Thursday 1st February 2018
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funkyrobot said:
Eric Mc said:
Simpo Two said:
I don't get all the excitement. The moon has been doing exactly the same thing for millions of years. It orbits the Earth. It looks a bit bigger when it's nearer, and a bit red when there's dust in the atmosphere. Why suddenly all this hype? It's just the fking moon!
It wasn't that big a deal really, but the astronomical community likes to encourage the average citizen to "look up" and therefore make the most of relatively rare phenomenon.

As explained in my opening post, having three lunar phenomenon all happening in a 24 hour period is fairly rare.

The increase in size of the moon when it is at perigee is not really that obvious (it's about 10% bigger in realty) but the APPARENT increase when it is low in the sky is a well known phenomenon and is usually referred to as "The Moon Illusion". It was the subject of a very interesting "Sky at Night" episode back in the 1970s.
Let's not forget that the moon won't be doing its thing forever either.

We won't have solar eclipses like we do now forever.
Yep, better get in quick. Might miss em......
https://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/weekly/4Page28.pdf

funkyrobot

18,789 posts

228 months

Thursday 1st February 2018
quotequote all
jmorgan said:
funkyrobot said:
Eric Mc said:
Simpo Two said:
I don't get all the excitement. The moon has been doing exactly the same thing for millions of years. It orbits the Earth. It looks a bit bigger when it's nearer, and a bit red when there's dust in the atmosphere. Why suddenly all this hype? It's just the fking moon!
It wasn't that big a deal really, but the astronomical community likes to encourage the average citizen to "look up" and therefore make the most of relatively rare phenomenon.

As explained in my opening post, having three lunar phenomenon all happening in a 24 hour period is fairly rare.

The increase in size of the moon when it is at perigee is not really that obvious (it's about 10% bigger in realty) but the APPARENT increase when it is low in the sky is a well known phenomenon and is usually referred to as "The Moon Illusion". It was the subject of a very interesting "Sky at Night" episode back in the 1970s.
Let's not forget that the moon won't be doing its thing forever either.

We won't have solar eclipses like we do now forever.
Yep, better get in quick. Might miss em......
https://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/weekly/4Page28.pdf
I know we won't see it. hehe