January 31: Time for some moon gazing

For the first time in more than 150 years, three lunar phenomena will collide – producing a Super Blue Blood Moon on January 31.

Not only will it be the second full moon in January, but the moon will also be close to its nearest point to Earth on its orbit, and be totally eclipsed by the Earth’s shadow.

While the three aren’t particularly rare – the last Super Moon was on January 2 this year, and the last Blood and Blue Moons were in 2015 – the chances of them all occurring at the same time are quite slim.

The result will be a spectacular display – a very large, red full moon – which hasn’t occurred since March 1866.

In Lorne, we are privileged to witness some spectacular moonrises, particularly when the full moon rises out of the ocean creating a line of reflected light across Louttit Bay. It’s the spectacle that so many people travel to Broome to witness “The Staircase to the Moon.” And yet, it is equally as dramatic right here in Lorne and no more so that on the evening of January 31, when the full moon will rise here in Lorne at around 8.30pm. On this night, it will be a Super Moon which is defined as a full moon occurring at the nearest point to the Earth on the moon’s orbit. Due to this proximity, Super Moons appear seven per cent larger and 16 per cent brighter than the average full moon.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon enters the shadow of the Earth cast by the Sun. The eclipse will be most obvious from 10.48pm on January 31 until 2.11am February 1.

“This will be an exciting time for all those people who have never seen a total eclipse of the Moon,” said Perry Vlahos, president of the Astronomical Society of Victoria.

Mr. Vlahos said the eclipse will actually start earlier in the north-eastern sky just before 10pm but little difference will be seen until about 11pm when the Moon begins to move into the full shadow of the Earth. At this time, the bottom right edge of the Moon’s disk will begin to darken. The Moon will become fully eclipsed from 11.51pm till 1:07am on February 1. The Moon will then move out from the full shadow of the Earth and it will begin to brighten again.

“This will be the easiest lunar eclipse to see for many years as it occurs during summer time when it’s warm and not in the wee hours of the morning,” Mr Vlahos said. “It’s not at too late a time and families can stay up to watch it together.”

Mr Vlahos said the Moon was not expected to disappear completely even during the period of full eclipse. Even though the Moon will be in full shadow for 90 minutes, some sunlight is bent by the Earth’s atmosphere and will dimly light up the Moon’s surface.

“At full eclipse, the Moon will be a reddish or coppery colour,” Mr Vlahos said. “If there is a lot of dust and smoke in the Earth’s atmosphere, the eclipse will be dark. If there is less dust and smoke, the Moon will appear brighter.”

Particles of dust and smoke in the atmosphere filter out some of the green, blue and violet rays in sunlight letting the yellow, orange and red rays through so things appear redder. A similar effect commonly occurs in summer during bushfire times. The setting sun appears red because the light we see is filtered through a thick layer of smoky atmosphere.

“Finally, there’s also a third point of interest,” Mr Vlahos said. “It will also be the occasion of a ‘Blue Moon’, meaning the second full moon in the same calendar month.”

So, on January 31, you’re in for a treat. Fingers crossed that the weather holds good and the clouds stay away.

Peter Spring