Wednesday brings with it a rare lunar trifecta: a super blue blood moon.
Florida State College at Jacksonville astronomy professor Mike Reynolds says a blue moon is a second full moon that happens in a single calendar month. The last one occurred in July 2015.
“They’re pretty rare. They don’t turn blue but they call it a blue moon. It’s one of those names that kind of stuck, ‘once in a blue moon.’ Once in a blue moon is about once every two-and-a-half years.”
A supermoon happens when the moon’s orbit brings a full moon closer to earth than usual. That will make this blue moon look much larger and brighter.
Plus, a total lunar eclipse very early Wednesday morning will make the moon appear blood-red, although folks on the First Coast will only see a partial eclipse that will occur just before dawn.
The last time there was a super blue blood moon was in 1866.
Contact reporter Cyd Hoskinson at choskinson@wjct.org, 904-358-6351 and on Twitter @cydwjctnews.
