The Western Hemisphere will see an exciting astronomical phenomenon tonight as a total lunar eclipse takes place in the dark night sky. North and South America will have the best view of the eclipse and the Super Blood Wolf Moon due to the path of totality.
What is a Super Blood Wolf Moon?
– In the moon’s orbit of Earth, there is a point where the moon is farthest from Earth (apogee) and closest to Earth (perigee). It is called a “Super Moon” because the full moon will be at the perigee of its orbit and look larger.
– “Blood” describes the reddish color the moon will appear as the total eclipse takes place. Only a little bit of light reflected onto the moon’s surface will be refracted by Earth’s atmosphere. Due to the scattering of wavelengths of light, the moon will appear reddish.
– A full moon in January is also called a “Wolf Moon.”
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves between the sun and moon, covering the moon with Earth’s shadow.
In Arkansas, the eclipse will begin at 8:36 p.m., when the full moon starts losing its brightness due to the earth moving in line with the sun and moon.
The moon will be completely covered by the Earth’s shadow for 62 minutes from 10:41 p.m. to 11:43 p.m.
From 11:43 p.m. Sunday to 1:48 a.m. Monday, the Earth will start to move out of line with the sun and moon. A partial eclipse will take place until the moon regains its complete brightness at 1:48 a.m.
We should have a good view of the total lunar eclipse and the Super Blood Wolf Moon tonight under a mostly clear sky. It will be cold as temperatures drop from the low 30’s into the upper 20’s from start to finish, so if you’re going out to view this astronomical event, you’ll want to dress warmly!
The next total lunar eclipse in Arkansas will be on May 15-16, 2022.