A Total Lunar Eclipse Video
Explanation:
Tonight a bright full Moon will fade to red.
Tonight's moon
will be particularly bright because it is reaching its fully lit phase
when it is relatively close to the Earth in its
elliptical
orbit.
In fact, by some measures of size and brightness, tonight's full Moon is designated
a
supermoon, although perhaps
the "super" is
overstated
because it will be only a few percent larger and brighter than the average full Moon.
However, our Moon will
fade to a dim red because it will also undergo a
total lunar eclipse --
an episode when the Moon becomes completely engulfed in Earth's shadow.
The faint
red color results from
blue sunlight being more strongly scattered away by the Earth's atmosphere.
A January full moon, like the one visible tonight, is referred to as a
Wolf Moon in some cultures.
Tonight's supermoon total eclipse will last over an hour and be
best visible from
North
and
South America
after sunset.
The featured time-lapse video
shows the
last total lunar eclipse -- which occurred in 2018 July.
The next total
lunar eclipse will occur only in 2021 May.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
