NASA TELEVISION TO AIR LIVE COVERAGE OF UPCOMING RARE LUNAR ECLIPSE

Sky-gazers are in for a rare treat Wednesday, Jan. 31,
when three celestial events combine to create a super
blue blood moon. NASA Television and the agency’s
website will provide live coverage of the celestial spectacle
beginning at 5:30 a.m. EST.
Weather permitting, the broadcast will feature views
from the varying vantage points of telescopes at NASA’s
Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California;
Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles; and the University of
Arizona’s Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter Observatory.
This event offers a rare opportunity to see a supermoon,
a blue moon and a lunar eclipse at the same time.
A supermoon occurs when the Moon is closer to Earth
in its orbit and appears about 14 percent brighter than
usual. As the second full moon of the month, this moon
is also commonly known as a blue moon, though it will
not be blue in appearance. The super blue moon will
pass through Earth’s shadow and take on a reddish tint,
known as a blood moon.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and
a full moon form a near-perfect lineup in space. The total
phase of the eclipse will last 1 hour and 16 minutes. The
whole process will take more than four hours.
If skies are clear, the U.S. West Coast, Alaska and
Hawaii will have the best view of totality, from start to
finish. For the eastern U.S. and Canada, a clear view
will be limited as the Moon sets and the Sun rises during
the early stages of the eclipse.  The last total lunar eclipse
occurred Sept. 27-28, 2015. The next total lunar
eclipse visible across North America will occur Jan. 21, 2019.
The Jan. 31 eclipse is the third in a series of supermoons
in December 2017 and January 2018. Watch
the Supermoon Trilogy video.  Follow the event online at:
https://moon.nasa.gov Join the conversation on
Twitter at: ht tps: / / t w i t ter.c om/NASAMoon