From Business Insider:
"The first supermoon of 2018 will appear on New Year's Day — and it's more special than usual"
On January 1 — New Year's Day — we'll see the first supermoon of
2018. Different cultures around the world have given various names to
each full moon of the year. The first full moon of the year is
called the wolf moon after the idea that wolves howl at the moon. And in this case, it's also a
supermoon, a full moon that arrives when the moon is at or
near the part of its orbit that's closest to Earth. The difference between a supermoon and a regular full moon isn't
always easy to tell — though if you could put a supermoon next to
a micromoon, a full moon at the part of its orbit furthest from
Earth, you'd see it. But looking up to observe our celestial companion is worth it,
and a supermoon (or another full moon) is as good an occasion as
any to check it out. This event is made a bit more special by the fact that this
supermoon is one of three occurring in a row. The first appeared
on December 3, this one is on January 1, and we'll see the third
on January 31. And as a NASA post
on the "supermoon trilogy" explains, the one on January 31
will definitely be worth seeing. A second full moon to appear in a month — like the one on January
31 — is called a blue moon. They happen about once every two and
a half years. But NASA says that "super blue moon" will also feature a total
lunar eclipse, or when the moon lines up so that the Earth blocks
the sun's light we see reflected in the moon. These happen about
twice a year. CAs NASA explains it: "The moon will lose its brightness and take
on an eerie, fainter-than-normal glow from the scant sunlight
that makes its way through Earth's atmosphere. Often cast in a
reddish hue because of the way the atmosphere bends the light,
totally eclipsed Moons are sometimes called 'blood moons.'" "The lunar eclipse on January 31 will be visible during moonset,"
said Noah Petro, a research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center. "Folks in the eastern United States, where the
eclipse will be partial, will have to get up in the morning to
see it." And these occasions all serve to remind us of one thing, Petro
says: The moon is pretty cool and worth looking at, no matter
what. "The supermoons are a great opportunity for people to start
looking at the moon," he said, "not just that once, but every
chance they have!"
^ This is a pretty cool way to start a new year. ^
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