The most spectacular astronomical event of 2019 – the Super Blood Wolf Moon – took place last night. Photographers and astronomers alike were able to witness a total eclipse of the Moon for the last time until 2021. Lunar eclipses are known as Blood Moons because our natural satellite turns a crimson colour.
This eerie red shade is due to scattered sunlight after it passes through Earth’s atmosphere.
And because last night’s eclipse occurred when the Moon was extremely close to Earth, it was called a Super Blood Moon.
A Wolf Moon is the traditional name for January’s Full Moon in the Old Farmer’s Almanac, so this Moon is known as the Super Blood Wolf Moon.
Stargazers in the UK required an early start to catch the moon at its most red, which occurred at 5.12am.
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When is the February Full Snow Moon?
For centuries Native American tribes named the months after features they associated with the seasons.
And many of these ancient month names are now incorporated into the modern calendar.
The Snow Moon is the Full Moon in February, and is named after the snow scattered on the freezing ground.
Some Native American tribes named it the Hunger Moon due to the scarce food resources and difficult mid-winter hunting conditions.
February’s Full Snow Moon falls on Tuesday, February 19.
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Those lucky enough to catch last night’s Super Blood Wolf Moon were doubly so as the next eclipse will not arrive until May 26, 2021.
Astronomer Tom Kerss, from the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, said: “We are going into this unusual lull in total lunar eclipses over the next couple of years.
“This was a really good one to catch as it is going to be a long time before you catch another one like this.
“We will have other lunar eclipses, we just won’t have anything quite as spectacular until May 2021.”
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However, photographing the awe-inspiring eclipse was harder than anticipated in the UK, due to excessive cloud cover this morning.
Mark Wilson, a Met Office forecaster said: “There was a lot cloud around, but there are some breaks to enjoy the lunar eclipse as well.
“Across lots of central England and northern England there is quite a lot of lower cloud around, but there are still some breaks in cloud particularly over south-east England and parts of south-west England as well.
“It is kind of a mixed bag – further towards the north there is more in the way of cloud as well affecting parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, so probably not great visibility up there unfortunately.”
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