Happening Tonight: When & Where To See The Super Blood Moon Eclipse

Astronomers throughout North America, South America, and some of Europe and Africa will witness a show 30 years in the making. It’s a super blood moon eclipse.

When the moon is at what’s called “perigree,” it is at its closest distance to Earth, about 226,000 miles, and appears 14% larger and 30% brighter than it does at its apogee.

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Supermoons aren’t exactly uncommon, but coinciding with a lunar eclipse is a bit more rare. The last time it happened was in 1982 and it won’t happen again until 2033. What makes this eclipse a blood moon is the rusty red color the moon takes on. The moon turns blood red as a result of sunlight being scattered by the atmosphere of the Earth.

Blood moons have often been viewed as bad omens by superstitious people. Religious groups and astrologers think that the moon will be a sure sign of the start of the end of days. Why super blood eclipse moons haven’t already ended the world yet isn’t clear. Probably because the color of the moon doesn’t have any bearing on much of anything here on the Earth.