Get ready to do some serious skygazing in 2019. The new year will get off to a brilliant start when a rare reddish-orange body called a Super Blood Wolf Moon graces the sky in January, Forbes reports.
This phenomenon is actually the convergence of a few lunar events. For one, there’s a total lunar eclipse, also known as a Blood Moon. This occurs when Earth comes between the Sun and Moon, causing the Sun’s light to bend towards the Moon—hence the spooky reddish hue. After January 2019, the next total lunar eclipse will occur in 2021.
Secondly, the Super Blood Wolf Moon takes place during a supermoon. This occurs when a moon’s full phase coincides with the point in its orbit when it comes closest to Earth. These two factors make it look 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than it normally does, according to Space.com.
Finally, a full moon in January has been called a Wolf Moon ever since colonial times, so that’s where the “wolf” part of the name comes from.
If you’re in North America, you can expect to see the Super Blood Wolf Moon on January 20. Totality will occur around 9:12 p.m. PST or 12:12 a.m. EST on January 21, but Forbes suggests pulling up a chair an hour beforehand to watch the moon change from partial eclipse to total eclipse. The phenomenon will also be visible from South America and parts of western Europe, and the moon will don its crimson color for about an hour.
Other dazzling events to watch out for next year include a trio of supermoons on January 20/21, February 19, and March 21; the Eta Aquarids meteor shower on May 6/7; and a rare total solar eclipse on July 2.
