Image: INQUIRER.net Stock Photo
Three rare lunar events are expected to happen on Jan. 31. A blue moon, lunar eclipse and a supermoon will occur at the same time. Scientists refer to the event as a “super blue blood moon.”
According to a statement from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, the moon will rise at around 5:42 p.m.
The eclipse itself will begin at 6:49 p.m., Philippine Standard Time. It will end at 12:09 a.m., Feb. 1. Its totality will become visible by 9:29 p.m., provided skies are clear over Manila.
Blue moons are rare lunar occurrences that involve a second full moon on the same month. These usually happen once every two or three years and actually give the moon a bluish hue.
When the moon gets closer to the Earth, which makes it seem bigger, this gets referred to as a supermoon.
Lunar eclipses are also known as blood moons. The name came from the reddish hue that the moon takes on during the eclipse.
With a blue and blood moon happening at the same time and the moon being closer to the Earth than usual, skygazers are in for a treat come Jan. 31. /ra
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