Astronomical space event

A rare supermoon eclipse reveals a red-colored moon in the sky

More stories from Colette St. John

Dressember
December 13, 2016
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Photo by SUBMITTED

A common linkage between people of various geographic locations and a world-phenomena discussed for centuries, the moon has viewing potential across the world.

Sunday night, the Physics and Astronomy Department offered a lunar eclipse viewing event on the lawn between Davies and Schofield hall. The observing was conducted in order to watch the rare supermoon eclipse which was fully visible in the sky for a little over an hour, according to NASA.

While watching the moon eclipse to reveal the deep-red color, students and professors from the department all watched on the campus lawn, using binoculars to see the changes develop in the night’s sky.

“A lunar eclipse occurs whenever the Sun, Earth and Moon are lined up so precisely that the shadow of the Earth falls on the Moon,” physics and astronomy professor Nathan Miller said. “When the rare alignment occurs, it’s interesting to watch the shadow of the Earth progress across the face of the moon until the it is fully dimmed.”

As the light passes through our atmosphere on the way to the moon, what is often referred to as the “blood moon” becomes visible, Miller said.

Not only is the moon a different color than usual, it also appears to be larger.

“It orbits (the moon) in a shape called an ellipse where it’s sometimes closer and sometimes further from the Earth,” Miller said.

Miller expressed how freely the changes of the moon may be observed during an eclipse.

“Lunar eclipses are easily-viewed natural events which are fun to watch unfold,” Miller said. “Everyone, even small children, would get something out of watching an eclipse.”

From live Snapchat feeds of the eclipse, a supermoon time zone tracker on the NASA website, to a designated supermoon Facebook status option, excitement of the blood moon was evident through various mediums of social media.

Not only were students watching from on campus, but also off. Junior social work major, Emily Byal, was one who watched the moon’s eclipse. Attending Mt. Simon Park, she and a group of friends were able to see the moon from great heights.

“I thought that this was a must-see because it’s something that won’t happen again until 2033,”said Byal. “It was really awesome to get outside with some friends and watch something rare like that occur.”

Junior kinesiology major, Blake Nikolai, also viewed the supermoon on Sunday. Feeling similarly to Byal, he expressed the importance of observing the blood moon.

“I wanted to see something that you may only get to see once or twice in a lifetime,” said Nikolai.

NASA predicts the next supermoon eclipse for Oct. 8, 2033.