Soon, or rather on January 31, 2018, a total lunar eclipse event will occur. Here are some things you should know about a total lunar eclipse before observing it.
The First Eclipse of the Year
In the year 2018, there will be five eclipse events, namely three partial solar eclipses (15 February, 13 July and 11 August 2018) and two total lunar eclipses (31 January and 28 July 2018).
That way, the total lunar eclipse January 31, 2018 will be the first eclipse in 2018. In addition, it is also the 16th lunar eclipse since 2001, which in the 21st century will occur at least 85 times the lunar eclipse.
The Bright Blue Month
As we know, the full moon is a necessary condition for the lunar eclipse to occur. However, Full Moon on January 31, 2018 will be more special. It is the second full moon that occurred this January (the first full moon occurred on January 2 yesterday), so he was dubbed the Blue Moon or Blue Moon.
The Blue Month has two different definitions: It can be the third full moon in four full moons in a season, or the second full moon that occurs in a calendar month.
However, instead of blue, the Moon will actually be red because it will be digerhanai by Earth. The red color occurs because the Earth's atmosphere refracts the red light from the Sun, so the Moon does not look total dark, but red.
Followed by a solar eclipse
The solar and lunar eclipses tend to follow each other. In other words, the Moon eclipse always occurs two weeks before or after the solar eclipse. For a total lunar eclipse this January 31, 2018, will be followed by a partial solar eclipse that will occur on February 15, 2018.
Source: http://www.infoastronomy.org
