A total lunar eclipse will have people looking to the sky this weekend.
On Sunday, Jan. 20, the Sun, Earth and Moon will align, creating a total lunar eclipse and causing the full moon to glow red, which is sometimes referred to as a “blood moon.”
The Moon will also be at the closest point in its orbit to Earth, which can make the Moon appear bigger and brighter than usual. This phenomenon has been dubbed a “supermoon.”
In folklore, January’s full moon is also called a “wolf moon,” so this lunar eclipse has been nicknamed a “super blood wolf moon.”
The eclipse will be visible in North and South America and western parts of Europe and Africa.
At 7:33 p.m. PST, the Moon will start to become noticeably darker as it moves into Earth’s shadow.
The total lunar eclipse begins at 8:41 p.m. and lasts for about an hour with totality occurring at 9:12 p.m. PST.
This will be the last total lunar eclipse until 2021.
If it happens to be cloudy on Sunday, you can watch a livestream of the eclipse at timeanddate.com.
Watch this NASA video to learn more about what causes a lunar eclipse:
