The first day of 2018 offers something special for Houstonians with the second of a rare triology Supermoon, according to NASA officials.
Visible Supermoons appear 14% bigger and 30% brighter than full moons that occur at the farthest point in the moon’s orbit, and this will happen in Houston at 8:24 p.m on January 1, 2018. The first in the trilogy was seen on December 3rd, 2017 and the last will be visible on January 31, 2018.
The January 31st Supermoon will be a sight to behold for several reasons, according to NASA officials.
First, a Supermoon occurs when the moon’s orbit is closest (perigee) to Earth at the same time it is full.
Second, it’s not often we see two full Moons in one month- only happens every two and a half years. Many call this a Blue Moon, that will makes it a super ‘blue Moon.’
And finally, the January 31st super blue Moon will be a lunar eclipse- with totality views from western North America across the pacific to Eastern Asia. With the total eclipse, often called a “blood Moon,” that will give us a ‘super blue blood’ Moon.
“The Supermoons are a great opportunity for people to start looking at the Moon, not just that once but every chance they have!” says Noah Petro, a research scientist from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
@houstonfamilymagazine readers, you can check out moon.nasa.gov for a countdown clock to moon rise and moon set, as well as all the moon information @nasa provides. #moon #supermoon #superbluebloodmoon #nasa
