Early in the morning on Jan. 31 Cedar City residents were given a “once in a blue moon” opportunity to view a super blue blood moon lunar eclipse. The eclipse began at 3:51 a.m., reaching totality at 6:29 a.m. and ended at 9:08 a.m.
A supermoon occurs when a moon is full during its closest orbit around the earth. A blue moon occurs when a moon is full twice in one month. A blood moon occurs when the sun shines through the earth’s outer atmosphere and turns the moon a shade of red during a lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth blocks the sun from shining onto the moon.
The occurrence of all four of these cosmic events in one night is an event that hasn’t been seen in the western hemisphere in 152 years.
For more information on the super blue blood moon lunar eclipse visit NASA.gov.
Story By
Mitchell Quartz
outside@suunews.com
