Looking to the sky
NM Museum of Natural History and Science prepares for Super Blue Moon Eclipse
There is an astronomical trifecta happening this month — a Super Blue Moon Eclipse. The first eclipse of 2018 will be a lunar one that comes on Jan. 31 and it will be a total eclipse that involves the second full moon of the month, popularly referred to as a Blue Moon.
Such a skywatching event hasn’t happened for more than 150 years.
According to Joe Rao from New York’s Hayden Planetarium, after this year, the next time a Blue Moon passes through Earth’s umbra will be on Dec. 31, 2028, and, after that, Jan. 31, 2037. Both will be total eclipses. Before 2017, there was an 8 percent partial eclipse on Dec. 31, 2009, but, for a total eclipse of a Blue Moon, we have to go all the way back to March 31, 1866. And the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science is gearing up to help educate the community on what exactly is going to happen and how to view it.
Tonight — from 5:30-9 p.m. — the museum will dedicate its programming to teaching about the lunar coincidence happening on Jan. 31.
The motions of the moon and Earth will come together for this very unusual lunar event, and all will be explained so that you can prepare, enjoy and understand what is happening, says Margaret Marino, executive director of the NMMNHS.
The museum will also have telescopes available to see the eclipse from 5-7 a.m. on Jan. 31, weather permitting.
“We’re going to have a special preview … ,” says Marino. “We are opening up the museum for patrons to come in and learn about this unique event. … Eclipses are
always a draw and this one is special.”
The special programming is part of the museum’s First Friday series.
During the first Friday of the month, beginning at 5:30 p.m., admission is $5. The DynaTheater will be showing its newest film, “Humpback Whales 3-D,” for an additional $5 at 6:30 p.m.
The film is set in the waters of Alaska, Hawaii and the remote islands of Tonga.
It’s an ocean adventure that offers audiences an up-close look at how these whales communicate, sing, feed, play and take care of their young.
Marino says the Planetarium will present Fractal Friday at the usual times of 6, 7, 8 and 9 p.m. with the normal admission of adults $10, seniors $7 and children (3-12) $5. Shows typically sell out in advance, so get your tickets early on brownpapertickets.com.
The Museum Observatory will be open to the night sky from 6-8 p.m. tonight, weather permitting.
Marino also noted patrons will get a chance to see the exiting “Wild Music” exhibition before installation for “Da Vinci — The Genius,” which opens Feb. 10. “We’ve got a lot of programming planned for this exhibit, as well,” she says. “And the exhibit will be up for five months … .”