Super Blood Moon

[churchmouse]

4:19 AM and it is still bright in the sky.

 

[mom45]

When I went to bed around midnight, I could look out the window and see everything in the yard...even a few deer several hundred feet out from the house.

 

[bwframe]

Not a supermoon, but a cool shot across the ice this evening:

 

[SMiller]

I went for a run the other night and it was like daylight outside, cool stuff!

 

[bwframe]

Three years later...

 

[bwframe]

 

[terrehautian]

My wife works tonight, a nurse at the hospital. This won’t be a fun night for her.

 

[Bigtanker]

Perfectly clear night for us. We're keeping an eye on it.

 

[bwframe]

[video=youtube;Cka9HcT6ETk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cka9HcT6ETk[/video]

 

[Bigtanker]

Watched it disappear. It's cool.

 

[indykid]

High thin clouds allowed viewing of the moon disappearing but unfortunately seeing blood dripping from the sky tonight will not be possible.

 

[cbhausen]

I stood out in my driveway and watched it for a while. Pretty cool, actually.

On a related note I wasn’t able to see the last total solar eclipse but I am looking forward to observing the next one in a few years with my kids. Carbondale, Illinois is supposed to be the best place to view it.

 

[rvb]

took my telescope out last night. tried to take some pictures. they didn't turn out the best. had to rush... too cold. At -2 the phone (my camera) only worked for a couple minutes before the cold zapped it, then I'd have to take it in to warm up.

lovely sight.

oh, and I was curious about the term "Blood Moon." I know when I was a kid these were just called Full Lunar Eclipses. the term seems like a new thing..... and it is:
https://earthsky.org/human-world/what-is-a-blood-moon-lunar-eclipses-2014-2015

-rvb

 

[Sigblitz]

We watched it last night, like we always do. But it was cold.

 

[rvb]

A couple photos I took......

 

[spencer rifle]

"Super Blood Moon" LOL. I find the hype annoying. It's just a full moon and lunar eclipse. There are no "Super Moons." Lunar eclipses are often brick-red color. If you can't be bothered to watch without the media making-up-words hype, then don't . You're just not that into it.

 

[rvb]

"Super Blood Moon" LOL. I find the hype annoying. It's just a full moon and lunar eclipse. There are no "Super Moons." Lunar eclipses are often brick-red color. If you can't be bothered to watch without the media making-up-words hype, then don't . You're just not that into it.

"Super moon" = moon @ perigee. When it's the closest to earth in its orbit, vs when it's the farthest @ apogee. I think that's kind of a recent, dumbed down name for perigee.
As I said above, "Blood moon" is also kind of a new name for full lunar eclipse. So "super blood moon" = full eclipse when the moon is @ perigee.

part of me thinks it's lame that these things get over hyped.... I mean people who rarely look up are not going to notice a couple % difference in moon apparent size between full apogee and perigee. But another part of me thinks, hey, if we can get people looking up and remotely interested in sciency stuff, that's a good thing....

-rvb

edit: explanatory diagram, stolen from, :Super Moon facts, Supermoons 2017 to 2021, Eclipse Geeks

 

[Route 45]

On a related note I wasn’t able to see the last total solar eclipse but I am looking forward to observing the next one in a few years with my kids. Carbondale, Illinois is supposed to be the best place to view it.

Carbondale is hogging the solar eclipse spotlight, they had it great for last year's eclipse.

I took the family down to Metropolis, IL to view the solar eclipse last year. Very cool!

Indianapolis will actually be in the path of totality in 2024, and the duration of totality is only a few seconds less than Carbondale. You can go a bit south or a bit east of Indy to get dead center in the path of totality. I hope it won't be cloudy, but April is a toss-up for clear skies in Indiana.

Lunar eclipses are cool, but nothing compared to the awesomeness of a solar eclipse!

 

[spencer rifle]

"Super moon" = moon @ perigee. When it's the closest to earth in its orbit, vs when it's the farthest @ apogee. I think that's kind of a recent, dumbed down name for perigee.
As I said above, "Blood moon" is also kind of a new name for full lunar eclipse. So "super blood moon" = full eclipse when the moon is @ perigee.

part of me thinks it's lame that these things get over hyped.... I mean people who rarely look up are not going to notice a couple % difference in moon apparent size between full apogee and perigee. But another part of me thinks, hey, if we can get people looking up and remotely interested in sciency stuff, that's a good thing....

-rvb

edit: explanatory diagram, stolen from, :Super Moon facts, Supermoons 2017 to 2021, Eclipse Geeks

This is the verbal equivalent of the "Christmas Trash Scope." Get people all hyped up with urealistic expectations and then disappoint them, which turns them off to astronomy. I have personally faced a large number of these people in many years of doing beginning astronomy classes. They often get re-interested once someone takes the time to cut through all the hype and gets them away from their mostly-unused trash scope. The reality is much more interesting than the hype would lead folks to believe, but that takes time.

Notice that the terms are all of recent invention, while interest in real science continues to decline.

And R45 is correct - there is nothing like a total solar eclipse. It is a surreal experience. We are planning a trip to see the next one - an hour to Bluffon instead of 7 hours to southern Illinois.

 

[rvb]

This is the verbal equivalent of the "Christmas Trash Scope." Get people all hyped up with urealistic expectations and then disappoint them, which turns them off to astronomy.

I dunno, my Mom is convinced the "supermoon" is HUGE.
Mom: Did you see the SUPERMOON! tonight?
Me: Yea, I guess, I was out looking at other stuff with the scope.
Mom: It was HUGE.
Me: I couldn't tell a difference, honestly.
Mom: what do you mean, it was HUGE!
Me: When did you see it?
Mom: As it was rising.
Me: Oh, it always looks way bigger when down low compared to objects on the horizon.
Mom: No, it was because it's a SUPERMOON. It's huge!
Me: ok, I'll pay better attention next time.......
LOL

many years of doing beginning astronomy classes

where do you do those? sounds interesting. distance learning opportunities???

Lunar eclipses are cool, but nothing compared to the awesomeness of a solar eclipse!

I didn't travel to path of totality for the last solar eclipse.... took my scope to my kids' school so their classes could get a better view (image projected onto iphone to eliminate risk of fried eyes). So only saw about 80% covered.

Next one, the path is almost dead centered over my parent's place in central OH. Have a couple back-up places ID'd as well with friends...

-rvb