What you need to know about the supermoon lunar eclipse
- 9 years ago
It almost sounds like something from a comic strip: A total supermoon lunar eclipse, also known as a blood moon.
But this is for real - and it's happening Sunday night through Monday.
What's actually happening is a confluence of three things.
The moon will be full and in its closest point in its orbit around the Earth, making it a so-called supermoon, according to Dr. David Wolf, a former NASA astronaut and "extraordinary scientist in residence" for The Children's Museum.
In addition to this, a lunar eclipse will occur.
In other words, the Earth will line up directly with the sun and moon, directly between the two, Wolf said.
So the "moon will completely fall in the shadow of the Earth," he said.
The last time this happened was in 1982.
The next time this will happen will be 2033.
But this is for real - and it's happening Sunday night through Monday.
What's actually happening is a confluence of three things.
The moon will be full and in its closest point in its orbit around the Earth, making it a so-called supermoon, according to Dr. David Wolf, a former NASA astronaut and "extraordinary scientist in residence" for The Children's Museum.
In addition to this, a lunar eclipse will occur.
In other words, the Earth will line up directly with the sun and moon, directly between the two, Wolf said.
So the "moon will completely fall in the shadow of the Earth," he said.
The last time this happened was in 1982.
The next time this will happen will be 2033.