‘Super blood wolf moon’ on Sunday could live up to its mystical name
The crazy name for the rare lunar eclipse that will occur Sunday hints of folklore, “The Hobbit” or those witches making the cauldron bubble in “Lady Macbeth.”
But Mike Hennessy, the Buhl Planetarium manager at the Carnegie Science Center, says the coming “super blood wolf moon” sounds to him like something from a superhero movie.
“You might think this is the moon that comes back in the next ‘Avenger’ movie to defeat supervillain Thanos in the big battle of the Marvel Comics movies,” he said.
To see what he’s talking about, look to the sky late Sunday to see a larger-thanusual lunar eclipse with potential for it to be blood red.
If skies are clear, people throughout North and South America will begin seeing Earth’s shadow creep across the face of the moon at 10:33 p.m. Sunday and continue until 1:45 a.m. Monday, when the moon finally will escape the shadow. Totality of the eclipse will begin at 11:41 p.m. and last a full hour and, unlike a solar eclipse, you can look at the lunar eclipse directly.
The name of the eclipse is fantastical because it describes three things happening simultaneously, two of which result in arguably the most spectacular astronomical displays, save perhaps for a solar eclipse or large meteorite burning through the atmosphere.
A supermoon occurs when a full moon, in its tilted, elliptical orbit, reaches “perigee” — the point closest to Earth. That makes it 14 percent larger and thus notably “bigger and brighter” than what occurs at “apogee” — the point farthest from Earth, Mr. Hennessy said.
A full lunar eclipse occurs almost annually, while a supermoon eclipse occurs every few years. Eclipses require “syzygy” — the astronomical term for perfect or near-perfect alignment of the Earth, sun and moon.
A blood moon can occur during any total lunar eclipse because Earth blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the moon. But Earth’s atmosphere, serving as a prism, bends waves of sunlight, with the shorter blue wavelengths scattering in the atmosphere, but the longer red wavelengths bending around Earth just enough to cause a reddish reflection on the moon.
The resulting color depends on pollution levels, clouds and other atmospheric conditions on Earth and ranges from copper color to blood- or wine-red. Be aware that it also could be a disappointing black or gray.
“The moon’s orbit around Earth is tilted 5 degrees with respect to the Earth’s orbit around the sun. That’s why you don’t have a total lunar eclipse more frequently,” Mr. Hennessy said, noting that the supermoon makes the Sunday eclipse more special.
The first full moon of every year is known as a wolf moon, so that’s more folklore than astronomy. There’s no impact on the visuals, but it can add some mysticism to a large full moon on a cold winter’s night.
The Science Center on the North Shore is taking reservations — call 412-237-3400 — for its “Total Lunar Eclipse SkyWatch” party, starting at 9 p.m. Sunday and continuing until about 1 a.m., with a capacity of 300. Even if clouds ruin the show, the party will move to the planetarium.
“Basically what we have going is a total lunar eclipse, and that’s remarkable with the full moon passing through Earth’s shadow. And if conditions are right, we’ll get a blood moon,” Mr. Hennessy said. “It also will be a supermoon, and the wolf moon helps give it the superhero name.
“This will be a grand spectacle of nature and something to savor,” he said.