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First Blue Moon Total Lunar Eclipse in 150 Years Coming This Month (space.com)

Posted by msmash on from the up-next dept.

An anonymous reader writes, citing a report: The first eclipse of 2018 will be a lunar one that comes at the very end of the month, on Jan. 31. It will be a total eclipse that involves the second full moon of the month, popularly referred to as a Blue Moon. Such a skywatching event hasn't happened for more than 150 years. The eclipse will take place during the middle of the night, and the Pacific Ocean will be turned toward the moon at the time. Central and eastern Asia, Indonesia, New Zealand and most of Australia will get a fine view of this moon show in the evening sky. Heading farther west into western Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, the eclipse will already be underway as the moon rises.

59 comments

  1. very powerful time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    if you practice astrology. also good for divination and spirit communication

    1. Re: very powerful time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Indeed. It's suppsoed to be Sta'an.
      So many lives waisted due to autocorrect.

  2. Not a blue moon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    This is only a âblue moonâ(TM) if you misunderstand what this term means, or trying to make up some story. Go and read Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_moon

    The next blue moon will be 18/05/2019.

    1. Re:Not a blue moon by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      So......there's more than one definition of a blue moon, the moon itself doesn't turn blue, and according to one of the common definitions, there will be a blue moon this month.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    2. Re:Not a blue moon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is only a âblue moonâ(TM) if you misunderstand what this term means, or trying to make up some story. Go and read Wikipedia:

      According to wikipedia blue moon (TM) appears to be a belgian style white beer.

    3. Re:Not a blue moon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is only a âblue moonâ(TM) if you misunderstand what this term means, or trying to make up some story. Go and read Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_moon

      The next blue moon will be 18/05/2019.

      Hey moron. From the page you cited:

      2018: January 2, January 31, only in time zones west of UTC+11.

      Is there something wrong with your brain?

    4. Re:Not a blue moon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "This is only a blue moon"

      Yes, but those are rare!
      They happen only once in a blue moon.

    5. Re: Not a blue moon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Youâ(TM)re the moron with a faulty brain and inability to comprehend. That page says:

      The March 1946 issue of Sky & Telescope misinterpreted the traditional definition, which led to the modern colloquial misunderstanding that a blue moon is a second full moon in a single solar calendar month with no seasonal link.

    6. Re:Not a blue moon by darthsilun · · Score: 4, Informative

      This is only a 'blue moon') if you misunderstand what this term means, or trying to make up some story. Go and read Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik...

      The next blue moon will be 18/05/2019.

      This is the two-full-moons-in-one-month Blue Moon. That's what's happening on Jan 31st.

      The original definition, AIUI, is third full moon in a season with four full moons. Usually there are only three full moons in a season. (A season being the period of time between a solstice and an equinox, or between an equinox and a solstice.) That's the kind of blue moon that's happening on 18 May, 2019.

    7. Re:Not a blue moon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      According to the very Wikipedia article you linked to, the next blue moon will be on 31/01/2018

    8. Re:Not a blue moon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Followed your link:

      ...or a second full moon in a month of the common calendar.

      Found the definition you railed against, perfectly intact.

      Admittedly, the 4th full moon of a season makes it a bit more astronomical, but only a bit.

    9. Re:Not a blue moon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Calling two moons in one month a blue moon is like saying it's not fake news because we believe it.

    10. Re:Not a blue moon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is only a âblue moonâ(TM) if you misunderstand what this term means, or trying to make up some story. Go and read Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_moon

      The next blue moon will be 18/05/2019.

      From your own link:

      'A blue moon is an additional full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year: either the third of four full moons in a season, or a second full moon in a month of the common calendar.

      Before you suggest someone reads something, as part of your argument, make sure you read it yourself.

  3. Re:MODERATION IS CENSORSHIP by phantomfive · · Score: 2, Informative

    Your point would be more convincing, but on Slashdot moderation doesn't actually get rid of any of the comments. They're all still there for anyone who wants to read wild, untamed rants.

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  4. clearer by supernova87a · · Score: 5, Informative

    Just to be clear, there's nothing physically significant or different about a "blue moon". It's just a calendar thing where the moon appearing full (every 28 days) happened to fall twice within 31 days of a calendar month. "THIS IS A ONCE IN A 150 YEAR EVENT!" is kind of a dumb thing to emphasize (but I guess if it gets people to watch who didn't know before, then I suppose it's worth something, if a little "markety"). A blue moon happens every single month with *some* phase of the moon...

    And the statement, "... The eclipse will take place during the middle of the night..." is kind of a no-brainer. *Every* astronomical event takes place during the middle of the night on Earth somewhere! Maybe it could've been more informatively stated "since lunar eclipses are only visible to the parts of of the Earth facing towards the moon and away from the sun, people in Asia, Hawaii, Australia, India, etc. will get the best view."

    1. Re:clearer by findoutmoretoday · · Score: 2

      I thought it was the 4th moon in a season, so it should be just before a solstice or an equinox. No way Jan 31 is a blue moon.

    2. Re:clearer by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      The "once in 150 years" applies to the coincidence of both things, a "blue moon" and an eclipse. And that can by the very nature of an eclipse only happen on a full moon.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:clearer by qubezz · · Score: 1

      Yes this, stuff made up by people is not significant to the cosmos. Also, it seems like every other full moon is now a "SuperMoon!(tm)"

      People don't really need to be encouraged to look at either kind of eclipse though. Like meteor showers, most people aren't going to be impressed by something that isn't a fireworks show.

    4. Re:clearer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I think the point is that the definition of a "blue moon" is completely artificial, because many aspects of our calendar are artificial and unrelated to the Moon's orbit. Blue moons do nothing different from other full moons. They're not special, and the concept's not relevant to the science of astronomy.

    5. Re:clearer by darthsilun · · Score: 0

      the moon appearing full (every 28 days) happened to fall twice within 31 days of a calendar month. "THIS IS A ONCE IN A 150 YEAR EVENT!"

      Once in 150 years you say?

      January 2018, July 2015, December 2009, June 2007, July 2004 all have (had) monthly blue moons. The next one will be October 2020, then August 2023. You do the math.

      And as for the moon appearing full every 28 days? No, the moon appears full every 30 days, when the moon completes a full orbit relative to the Sun. (Hint, the full moons this month are on the 1st and the 31st.) This is different than a sidereal orbit. which is 27.5 days.

    6. Re:clearer by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      No, but it's interesting to note that this year we have actually two "blue moons". Because there's no full moons in February, there will be two in March again.

      And no, it still has no astronomical relevance. It's just a funny coincidence. And something to talk about at parties, maybe even something to pick up the chick with the healing crystal around her neck who tried to engage you in a discussion about the veracity of Daeniken's books.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    7. Re:clearer by Pseudonym · · Score: 2

      And the statement, "... The eclipse will take place during the middle of the night..." is kind of a no-brainer. *Every* astronomical event takes place during the middle of the night on Earth somewhere!

      More to the point, it is impossible for a lunar eclipse to take place during the day, because the Sun must be on the exact opposite side of the Earth to the Moon.

      It is, of course, inevitable that it will be daytime somewhere during a lunar eclipse, but nowhere that the eclipse is visible.

      --
      sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
    8. Re:clearer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, but it's interesting to note that this year we have actually two "blue moons". Because there's no full moons in February, there will be two in March again.

      Interesting only if you care about how the calendar lines up with the moon. I'm guessing nobody does, or at least nobody should since the calendar is rather arbitrary.
      It isn't anything interesting as far as the viewing the moon itself, or anything else astronomical.

    9. Re:clearer by jbengt · · Score: 2

      . . . the moon appearing full (every 28 days) . . .

      It's actually once every 29.53 days, to a reasonable accuracy.

    10. Re:clearer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      > Once in 150 years you say?

      Yes. A full lunar eclipse on a blue moon is once every 150 years or so.

    11. Re:clearer by techno-vampire · · Score: 2

      If you'll just RTFS (This is Slashdot; I don't expect you to RTFA.) you'll see that it's the first time in 150 years that there will be an eclipse of a Blue Moon.

      --
      Good, inexpensive web hosting
    12. Re:clearer by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Sure, it's also noteworthy though that the basic idea behind our "month" (along with its name) comes from the moon and its 27.something day phase cycle. Maybe that's the thing we should remember when it comes to "blue moons", that the sun and the moon cycles don't fit nicely into each other and that by padding months to fit the sun cycle and putting the lunar cycles on a back burner, we pretty much made the transition from a hunter society that depends on moonlight to see something during a hunt, to an agrarian society that depends on an annual cycle for sowing and reaping.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  5. Re:MODERATION IS CENSORSHIP by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 2

    He said DIVination, not MODeration. Although admittedly, you can get both at the same time with the DIVMOD function.

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  6. Re:It was all faked by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 0

    I don't believe that America really exists, it's all faked in a studio. I mean could there really be a country daft enough to elect someone like Trump?

    Well, it would kind of make sense. Reality shows are often made in a studio, right?

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  7. Re:It was all faked by Opportunist · · Score: 0

    Of course this ain't real. It's one of those reality soaps. The production value is pretty good, though, and they try to pass it off as real, but let's be honest, who writes those unbelievable scripts?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  8. Re:It was all faked by religionofpeas · · Score: 0

    The moon landing was actually faked on the moon. It was cheaper that way.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  9. Re:It was all faked by jfdavis668 · · Score: 0

    I don't believe slashdot exists.

  10. A blue blood moon? by jfdavis668 · · Score: 2

    I guess this one isn't for the common folk.

    1. Re:A blue blood moon? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A Blue Moon actually has nothing to do with a full moon occurring twice in one month. A Blue Moon is when there are four full moons in a season. For example, during harvest season, you have the first full moon, the second, and the third. Each of these moons has a name. When there is a fourth full moon, the third one is the Blue Moon, so that the final, fourth full moon has the term used for the third Blue Moon.

      I know, Blue Moons are not for the common people.

    2. Re:A blue blood moon? by jfdavis668 · · Score: 1

      You do know what "blue blood" means, right?

  11. Oblig by jareth-0205 · · Score: 1

    it's OK, we've got this sort of news covered...

    https://www.xkcd.com/1930/

  12. That's nothing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I know the youngsters will find this astounding... remember when the solar system had nine planets?

  13. I'll check twitter by I7D · · Score: 1

    I'm waiting for the NDT tweet about how this isn't a big deal.

    --
    Neil is that you? Yeah yeah, it's me... Neil...
  14. It's no wonder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If I hadn't come in 150 years, I'd be blue too.

  15. Whose night? by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

    The eclipse will take place during the middle of the night

    They always do, for somewhere.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  16. two Blue Moons sandwich Black Moon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Feb has no full moon, i.e. block moon. About every 30 years.