The lunar Eclipse 21st January 2019
This will be the first lunar eclipse of 2019 and the last total lunar eclipse until 2021. It coincides with the year's first full moon — a "wolf moon" in the folklore tradition because it occurs at a time of year when wolves howl outside villages — and comes when the moon is slightly bigger and brighter because it's at the closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit.
Since it's a so-called supermoon that's being shadowed, some media outlets have dubbed this eclipse a "super blood wolf moon."A lunar eclipse happens when the Sun, Earth and Moon align. In reality, that happens every month or so; every time we get a full Moon, to be precise. Lunar eclipses, however, happen when this alignment coincides with the Moon going through the Earth’s shadow.
A way to picture it is to think of the Earth’s shadow as a cone projected into space. A full Moon will be roughly opposite the Sun in the sky, which is why we can see it fully lit; but it will be slightly above or below the cone.”
In contrast, during a lunar eclipse, the Moon finds itself going through the cone of the Earth’s shadow. And because the Moon doesn’t emit light, but reflects the Sun’s rays, it becomes darker – at least when seen from our planet.
Read MoreSince it's a so-called supermoon that's being shadowed, some media outlets have dubbed this eclipse a "super blood wolf moon."A lunar eclipse happens when the Sun, Earth and Moon align. In reality, that happens every month or so; every time we get a full Moon, to be precise. Lunar eclipses, however, happen when this alignment coincides with the Moon going through the Earth’s shadow.
A way to picture it is to think of the Earth’s shadow as a cone projected into space. A full Moon will be roughly opposite the Sun in the sky, which is why we can see it fully lit; but it will be slightly above or below the cone.”
In contrast, during a lunar eclipse, the Moon finds itself going through the cone of the Earth’s shadow. And because the Moon doesn’t emit light, but reflects the Sun’s rays, it becomes darker – at least when seen from our planet.
