On 20 January starting around 9:30 pm ET (that’s us at the moment!), we’re going to notice the beginning of the total lunar eclipse. It will look like a little piece has been chewed out of the moon. About an hour later a partial eclipse will be seen, and then at 11:41 pm the full eclipse begins, maxing at 12:12 am. The whole thing will be over at 12:43 am. If you don’t think you can make it through the entire event, send a grandchild out with her phone.
During this time, the moon will be a reddish copper color, which is where we get the term “blood moon”. The color results from sunlight that reaches the earth’s atmosphere and veils the moon. During the eclipse stars will seem much brighter due to the diminished moon light.
So on 20 January 2019 we’ll have a Wolf Moon (the first full moon of the year, when wolves howl more because it’s their breeding season), a Blood Moon, a Supermoon (bigger and brighter than the average full moon), and a total lunar eclipse.
− various sources incl Kellie Hwang for data
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