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Stargazers in for a treat as rare 'super blood moon' is expected this month

On January 20 and 21, Earth's dark shadow will be cast over the bright lunar disk as our planet moves between the sun and the moon, thereby turning it blood red.

BY KUNAL DEY

PUBLISHED JAN 10, 2019

A trifecta of lunar events awaits stargazers in 2019, including a total lunar eclipse, a "wolf moon", and a super "blood" moon. The term "wolf" is a nickname for a full moon that appears in the middle of winter, the New York Post reports.

According to National Geographic, the rare sight will be viewed by millions of people across North and South America, aside from portions of Western Europe and Africa, overnight on January 20 into the following day. That said, the moon will supposedly give off a distinctive, bright-reddish glow for a few hours. “A total lunar eclipse can happen only when the sun, Earth, and moon are perfectly lined up — anything less than perfection creates a partial lunar eclipse or no eclipse at all,” according to Space.com.

The rare sight will be viewed by millions of people across North and South America, aside from portions of Western Europe and Africa, overnight on January 20 into the following day. (iStock)