Jan. 26 (UPI) — January is set to close with a unique full moon — a “super blue blood moon.”
The special pre-dawn full moon will rise on Jan. 31.
The full moon is the third of three super moons, the name given to full moons occurring during the moon’s perigee, its closest approach to Earth. The moon will appear 14 percent larger than the average full moon.
It’s also a blue moon, as it’s the second full moon to appear this month — a rarity, hints the phrase “once in a blue moon.”
While everyone has a chance to see the super blue moon, only those in the Western United States, Alaska and Hawaii will see the super blue blood moon.
West Coast viewers have a chance to see a full lunar eclipse. As the moon passes through the shadow of the Earth, it takes on a unique red tint.
“Weather permitting, the West Coast, Alaska and Hawaii will have a spectacular view of totality from start to finish,” Gordon Johnston, program executive and lunar blogger at NASA Headquarters, said in a news release. “Unfortunately, eclipse viewing will be more challenging in the Eastern time zone. The eclipse begins at 5:51 a.m. ET, as the Moon is about to set in the western sky, and the sky is getting lighter in the east.”
Viewers on the East Coast will only see a partial lunar eclipse. The eclipse will be so slight that viewers may not be able to notice a difference in the moon’s appearance.
Live footage of the full lunar eclipse will be broadcast on NASA TV beginning at 5:30 a.m. ET.
