Super Blue Blood Moon

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Surnames/tags: Full_Moons Super_Blue_Blood_Moon Celestial_Event

A Rare Super Blue Blood Moon and the Even More Rare Me

Blue Moons are not as rare as the old saying "once in a blue moon" implies. The second full moon within a calender month is referred to as a "blue moon," they happen about once every 2.7 years.^[1] However, two blue moons during the course of one year is rare, and 2018 experienced two blue moons, the first one was Wednesday, January 31st, and the second blue moon of 2018 took place on March 31st, the first full moon in March was on the 1st which happened to be the day of my 36th birthday.^[2] On top of our having two blue moons in 2018, January's blue moon, occurring simultaneously with a supermoon and a total lunar eclipse, was a rare one to witness. The lunar trifecta was called a "super blue blood moon." Supermoons and total lunar eclipses are not rare occurrences however, total lunar eclipses happen quite often, the last one to occur before January 31, 2018 was in 2015, and the next one took place during July in 2018, even though it was not visible to us in North America. The next time a total lunar eclipse was visible throughout all of the U.S. was January 21, 2019, it was also a supermoon, though it wasn't a blue moon, this celestial event was called a Super Blood Wolf Moon. A total lunar eclipse is what gives the moon a reddish or bloody tint, giving it the name "blood moon." A "supermoon", which happens all the time, is when the moon is closest to Earth in it's orbit and appears 14% brighter than usual.^[3] What made the event on Wednesday, January 31, 2018 so special was the coincidence of all three of these astronomical events happening at the same time. But, what made it even more extra special for me, it was the first time in 35 years that a blue moon synced up with a supermoon and a total lunar eclipse (or blood moon), making it the first super blue blood moon since 1982, the year I was born! The lunar trifecta won't happen again until 2037. It was also the first blue moon blood moon visible from the U.S. since 1866.^[4] I tried to get some decent photo's of the "super blue blood moon" but the camera on my phone isn't the best, so in all honesty, I was't able to capture any good pictures of the super blue blood moon, but atleast I got some pictures that hopefully my girls can reflect on this significant story from my life one day as I wish to take this note of my place in the universe that will forever say in my favor "I was there".^[5]