You’ve witnessed a lunar eclipse, a “blood moon” and probably a “blue moon,” but for the first time in a very, very long time, the U.S. will experience all three combined on January 31, called a super blue blood moon (try saying that five times fast).
By long time, we mean this is the first time Americans will witness this event since March 1866 – less than a year after the Civil War ended – so you’ll want your telescopes and binoculars at the ready.
What makes this event so special? The moon will be closer to earth in its orbit and will appear 14 percent brighter than usual. It’s the second full moon of the month, commonly known as a blue moon, and finally, this moon will pass through earth’s shadow for a total lunar eclipse. In the earth’s shadow, the moon will appear to have a reddish tint, giving its “blood moon” title.
According to NASA, people on the West Coast of the U.S. will see the total eclipse from start to finish. The umbral eclipse begins at 3:48 a.m. PST. At 4:51 a.m., totality will begin, with best viewing between about 5:00 and 6:00 a.m. local time. The totality phase ends about 6:05 a.m.- READ MORE
[give_form id=”79809″] [divider][/divider]The Moon is our closest neighbor and we’ve learned a lot about it over the past century or so. We’ve studied it, mapped it, and even visited it on more than one occasion, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a few surprises in store for us. A new research effort has uncovered one of those mysteries in the form of large holes in the lunar surface near the Moon’s north pole, and scientists believe they might hint at a huge subsurface tunnel network.
The bizarre holes were spotted by researchers working with the SETI Institute and Mars Institute, both of which used imagery from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to identify the gaps in the Moon’s dusty surface.
Before you go dreaming of little green men living in the Moon’s underground you should know that scientists obviously don’t think the tunnels were created by aliens at all. The tunnels are thought to be the remains of ancient lava tubes where liquid rock once flowed beneath the Moon’s surface. Over time, the magma flow ceased and large hollow tubes are all that remains. – READ MORE
[contentcards url=”http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/37340974/rare-super-blue-blood-moon-coming-to-western-us-skies-next-week” target=”_blank”]