Trifecta moon invades local skies
A supermoon, blue moon and total lunar eclipse invaded the morning sky on Jan. 31. A phenomenon not seen in 150 years in America. By 7:20 a.m. the moon came out from the Earth’s shadow just before sunrise. (Kathleen Woodford/Mineral Independent)
It was trifecta of sorts when the moon started to set on Jan. 31.
It was a supermoon, a blue moon and a total lunar eclipse and was a phenomenon not seen in America in 150 years.
A supermoon is when it is the closest distance to Earth in its elliptic orbit. A blue moon is the second of two full moons in a calendar month, and a lunar eclipse is when it is entirely inside the Earth’s shadow.
At around 6:20 a.m. Wednesday all three could be witnessed.
It was a cold, crisp morning and the moon could be seen intermittenly as clouds drifted in and out from view. The moon didn’t look blue but was actually a tiny orange dot in the sky.
It finally gave way to complete darkness as the eclipse reached its totality. By 7:20 a.m. the shadow had passed and the moon once again shone bright in the western sky.