Historic Super Blue Blood Moon Celestial Phenomenon Will Occur On January 31

Jan. 31 will give stargazers quite a show: a blue moon, super moon and lunar eclipse will all occur simultaneously according to NASA.

SUPER BLUE BLOOD MOON OCCURS ON JANUARY 31

The height of the super moon — when the moon is approximately 14% brighter than usual — will take place on Jan. 30, as that’s when the moon’s orbit will be the closest to the Earth’s. However, its impact will still be felt the following day. The second full moon in a month is referred to as a blue moon. Finally, the most visually impressive display is the lunar eclipse, which will only be visible in select areas. During a lunar eclipse, the moon passes through the Earth’s shadow, giving it a red tint called a blood moon.

And if you’re situated in Alaska, Hawaii or North America — particularly the western coast — you’ll be able to enjoy the spectacle on the 31st shortly before sunrise. If you’re set in the west, such as in California, the event will start on 3:48 a.m. PST, with the moon’s color changing to red at 4:51 a.m. PST. 5:00 to 6:00 a.m. PST is when the totality phase will be the sharpest, and it will end around 6:05 a.m. PST.

Those on the eastern coast will still be able to catch part of the show, however; the moon will enter the edge of the Earth’s shadow at 5:51 a.m. EST, though the moon’s coloration will only subtly change. 6:48 a.m EST is when the moon will begin to adapt its reddish tint, although New Yorkers will only be able to witness the spectacle for about 16 minutes, as that’s when the moon will set. Those in the Central time zone will have it better than their eastern cohorts; the moon will enter the Earth’s shadow at 4:51 a.m. CST, the red tint will be visible by 6:15 a.m. CST, and the moon will set at around 7:00 a.m. CST.

To emphasis how rare of an occurrence it is to have all three celestial events occur at once, the last time North America bore witness to such a phenomenon was on March 31, 1866. Dec. 30, 1982, was the last time in recorded history when all three happened simultaneously, although only the Eastern Hemisphere was able to witness the splendor.