Blood Moon

BLOOD MOON

A blood moon is a term used to describe the total lunar eclipse. The term blood moon is also used to describe four total lunar eclipse that happens in the span of two years, and this is called a lunar tetrad.

A total lunar eclipse happens when the Moon travels through the Earth's umbra and blocks all direct sunlight from illuminating the Moon's surface. However, some sunlight still reaches the lunar surface indirectly, a.k.a the Earth's atmosphere, making the Moon have a reddish, yellow, or orange glow.

A Super Blue Blood Moon is a result of the blue moon, super moon, and blood moon mixed all together. It is super rare and has not been seen in the last 150 years. But luckily, we get to see it on the 31st of January, 2018.

Super moon

SUPER MOON

A Super Moon is a moon that is closest to the earth. For a Super Moon to occur, two things need to happen. The moon needs to be at its closest approach, and the moon also needs to be at its full phase, which happens about every 29.5 days.

Super Moons only happen a few times a year (at most) because the moon's orbit changes orientation while the Earth orbits the sun. That is why there isn't a Super Moon every month.

The moon will appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter, but it is obviously hard to spot the difference or notice it with just the naked eye.

Blue moon

BLUE MOON

A blue moon is an additional full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year.

The phrase has actually nothing to do with the actual color of the moon because the color isn't really blue. The term has traditionally referred to an "extra" full moon, where a year which normally has 12 full moons has 13 instead.

There could be two exact definitions for a blue moon.

1. Seasonal Blue Moon = The third Full Moon in an astronomical season with four Full Moons (versus the usual three).
2. Monthly Blue Moon = The second Full Moon in a month with two Full Moons.

The reason the second definition of Blue Moon exits is down to an error originally made by amateur astronomer James Hugh Pruett (1886–1955). But today, this is rather seen as the second definition, and not a mistake.