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Total Lunar Eclipse Set To Wow Star Gazers, Clear Skies Willing (reuters.com)

Astronomy buffs across the United States have been promised all the makings of a spectacular total lunar eclipse on Sunday except one -- clear skies. From a report: Star gazers from Los Angeles to New York will keep their eyes on the sky for the eclipse, known as a super blood wolf moon, expected to appear at 11:41 p.m. EST. Although it is a total eclipse, the moon will never go completely dark but rather take on a coppery red glow -- called a blood moon. It is also a full moon that is especially close to Earth, called a supermoon.

And since it appears in January, when wolves howled in hunger outside villages, it has earned the name wolf moon, according to The Farmers Almanac. But no matter how perfectly the stars align for this stellar event, the thrill or disappointment of the evening really depends on one thing: the weather.

87 comments

  1. Wolves? Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    And since it appears in January, when wolves howled in hunger outside villages, it has earned the name wolf moon, according to The Farmers Almanac.

    But was January's full moon ever commonly called a wolf moon, or is this all just a relatively recent popularization to help fill the endless news cycle?

    1. Re: Wolves? Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Really. And I am glad you write it that way. Will someone clarify this claim about the news cycles? I hope so

    2. Re:Wolves? Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey Chris! How are you buddy?

      I see that you still feel frustrated about Slashdot. You aren't satisfied with your 3 penny investment or what?

    3. Re:Wolves? Really? by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      But was January's full moon ever commonly called a wolf moon, or is this all just a relatively recent popularization to help fill the endless news cycle?

      For most of our lives the only full moon to be specially named in popular culture was the 'harvest moon' of September, which was deemed special because at that time of year the ecliptic is at a small angle to the horizon, causing the full Moon of that month to rise at about the same time every night, rather than the usual 50 minutes later each day. This helped farmers bring in the harvest.

    4. Re:Wolves? Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The only moon with a name was the "Harvest" moon in Oct. These other names were popularized to get people interested in Astronomy.

    5. Re:Wolves? Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I read it on the internet, so it must be true, that the Arapaho peoples called the full moon in January 'the freezing moon'. I don't know but it's been pretty mild here on the western plains so far.

    6. Re:Wolves? Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People have been interested in Astronomy for thousands of years. I'm guessing you also have never heard of Stonehenge, so in your mind that also does not exist.

    7. Re:Wolves? Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Many moon, Choctaw hunt", city boy.

    8. Re:Wolves? Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And good luck to you, my Hindu brother!

    9. Re:Wolves? Really? by Quirkz · · Score: 1

      Interesting. That really didn't sound right to me, but research bears it out:

      https://www.space.com/38319-wh...

      That said, there's a lot of variance due to latitude, and "about the same time" still ranges from 20-40 minutes later each day for most of the US. But that'll be my something new learned this day.

  2. I'm set up to image it now by jfdavis668 · · Score: 1

    Waiting for it to start.

    1. Re:I'm set up to image it now by msauve · · Score: 2

      Woohoo!, A full wolf blood red/blue moon made of green cheese (RGB!), never been seen before, never to be seen again, eclipse!!!1!1!11!!.

      Seriously, this is a total lunar eclipse, which is cool, but not particularly unique. Unless you're 90 years old, you'll have a chance to see another.

      But all the naming hype which seems to have started in the last few years is complete and utter bullshit. Just wait until Google China starts advertising by beaming LASERs on the surface to advertise Coca-Cola.

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    2. Re:I'm set up to image it now by SuperKendall · · Score: 2

      Well, to be honest the Full Wolf Blood Laser Super Coke Moon does sound pretty awesome!

      --
      "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    3. Re:I'm set up to image it now by UnknownSoldier · · Score: 1

      > Seriously, this is a total lunar eclipse, which is cool, but not particularly unique.
      > Unless you're 90 years old, you'll have a chance to see another.

      Next total eclipses are in 2022 and 2025 for North America.

      https://www.timeanddate.com/ec...

  3. Re:Energeian Planes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow Serbia has some catching up to do.

  4. Re:Impressive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A wolf moon would be Trump. A blood moon is Pelosi. Well maybe 50 years ago. But you get the gist.

  5. Obligatory by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 2

    I live in western Washington State, you insensitiv... oh, wait, the sky is actually fairly clear right now. I can see the moon!

    Never mind.

    (But it does seem like fog may ultimately get in the way)

    --
    #DeleteChrome
    1. Re: Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It does

    2. Re:Obligatory by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Informative

      ... and we got to see full totality for maybe 15 minutes before the fog started to significantly interfere. Now I can’t even tell where the moon is...

      But it was still cool, regardless.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    3. Re: Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're supposed to blow into the sky a bit. I did and it cleared right up. Jolly good times!

    4. Re:Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      (Posting as AC so as not to screw up moderation)

      We were watching it from just north of Seattle and it was visible to us for well over an hour or so. There were some small scattered clouds, but overall it looked pretty cool.

    5. Re:Obligatory by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I heard that the viewing situation improved considerably as one headed north - it was supposedly great up in BC! I'm about 40 miles south of Seattle, though, and it was cool enough (and the soil wet enough) that fog ended up being a problem.

      One of the great things about lunar eclipses, though, is that they're not all that uncommon. We've gotten to see a number of them over the past several years.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    6. Re:Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I live in western Washington State, you insensitiv... oh, wait, the sky is actually fairly clear right now. I can see the moon!

      LOL, where I live there was a temperature of something like -26C ... -14.8F to you Americans ... and a windchill making it feel like -39 (at -40 F and C meet).

      Not freezing to death was a far bigger obstacle to me than fog.

    7. Re:Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, hello there Martian!

  6. There is no dark side of the moon, really by rossdee · · Score: 1

    Matter of fact its all dark

    I wonder what the chances are of a lunar eclipse happening at some other time besides a full moon.

    1. Re:There is no dark side of the moon, really by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I wonder what the chances are of a lunar eclipse happening at some other time besides a full moon.

      Zero.

    2. Re:There is no dark side of the moon, really by joe_frisch · · Score: 2

      That is true only if you are assuming its the earth that is eclipsing the moon. Other options are however substantially less likely, and less desirable.

    3. Re:There is no dark side of the moon, really by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Yeah Padawan, go on and wonder more ...
      And if you figure the secret: don't tell anyone ...

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    4. Re:There is no dark side of the moon, really by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yup, that Chinese moon landing - fake!! Just like the US one. Dark side - as you said: there IS NO dark side. They have a secured site deep in the Gobi Desert where the "moon lander" poses for cameras. The moon is a flat disc of cheese - every child knows that.

  7. Too bad for me. by Mal-2 · · Score: 1

    But it's not because of the weather per se, it stopped raining a couple days ago.

    No, I have a nasty respiratory infection that has me coughing so much, my ribcage muscles are cramping under the load. If I start shivering -- even a little bit -- those muscles go into cramp mode. So I can't be outside, even a mere hour from now.

    I've photographed the sequence before, and pretty much lost to clouds around the same time the redness fully set in. I've posted it, too. But I remember how cold I was then, and that was October weather rather than January.

    --
    How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.
    1. Re:Too bad for me. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Get better soon!

  8. Re:Energeian Planes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I know you're delusional, because you mentioned God, but what exactly is it you don't believe about the moon?

  9. Re:Energeian Planes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I will just give the biggest, most obvious thing: The video shows that the red light on the moon fades in. Timeanddate.com shows the light fades in. Stellarium.org software shows the light fades in. Watching with your eyes shows that the light fades in.

    Shadows can't do that.

  10. Re:Energeian Planes by jfdavis668 · · Score: 3, Informative

    The light doesn't fade in, the camera exposure changes. I am imaging it now, and keep having to increase the exposure to see it. If I had it set the same way as the full moon, the picture would be black.

  11. Re:Energeian Planes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes, that is what you would think the explanation is.

    But that doesn't explain why everyone gets it wrong in their models, nor does it seem to be true. Cancel your normal routine, and see if you can capture the colored shadow light, even the blue/purple light that is usually only seen near completion, consistently, at long exposure, with locked white balance, focus, everything all the way through the eclipse and not see changes in light intensity in the shadow.

  12. Re:Energeian Planes by jfdavis668 · · Score: 1

    That makes no sense whatsoever.

  13. Fuck Climate Change by backslashdot · · Score: 1

    I canâ(TM)t see the eclipse the bay area is cloudy and rainy. How is this a coincidence?

    1. Re:Fuck Climate Change by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So, climate change is directly related to weather again after being unrelated? I see the pendulum has swung back the other way.

      I'll follow up tomorrow to see if they're unrelated again.

  14. Clear here by Revek · · Score: 1

    Clear and cold perfect conditions. Now fifteen minutes to totality.

  15. Re:Energeian Planes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Obviously, because no one seems to have ever done it. Even the HDR attempts at the moon show it fading in.

    Fast Red HDR
    Slow HDR eclipse
    Beijing HDR

    The last one shows the light the right way (locking the intensity) but the consequence is that the shadow terminator itself changes color from dark to light by the completion!

  16. In full shadow now by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    Look outside if you've not been already! (and if you can even see the moon of course...)

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:In full shadow now by Scarletdown · · Score: 2

      Just had a peek out there about a half hour ago. Pretty cool in a creepy way.

      Time to load another bowl and go ponder it further.

      --
      This space unintentionally left blank.
  17. Not exactly blood red. More like orange by mnemotronic · · Score: 4, Funny

    I wouldn't call it red ... more like orange. A giant tangerine tossed into the firmament. A plump pomegranate parked in the Pleiades. A Clementine coasting amongst the constellations.

    --
    The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
  18. it was cool by TheRealQuestor · · Score: 1

    Completely clear skies, a tad cold [46F], camera would not pick it up well, but worth the watch. The red part was cool too :)

    1. Re: it was cool by TimMD909 · · Score: 1

      Nice! It was 11ÂF for me and slightly cloudy.

    2. Re: it was cool by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A bit colder than that for me. (42 in central Florida I think?) been filming it for far too long now. But it will make a neat time lapse video at the end.

    3. Re:it was cool by Mashiki · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Completely clear skies, a tad cold [46F], camera would not pick it up well, but worth the watch. The red part was cool too :)

      You're calling 46F cold, that's short sleeves weather. It was -31C(-24F) tonight, with 40% humidity and no cloud cover which made for excellent watching. In this neck of the woods it's almost always overcast in the winter.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    4. Re:it was cool by TheRealQuestor · · Score: 1

      You're calling 46F cold, that's short sleeves weather. It was -31C(-24F) tonight, with 40% humidity and no cloud cover which made for excellent watching. In this neck of the woods it's almost always overcast in the winter.

      Down here 60 is winter coat weather lol. I've lived here too long to ever consider going back to true cold. I've felt -76 wind chills and -20's far too many times growing up to last a life time and then some. Cold literally hurts me [nerve necropathy and thyriod issues] and I will NEVER go back to those conditions :(

    5. Re:it was cool by Mashiki · · Score: 1

      Down here 60 is winter coat weather lol.

      Subtropics, tropics or desert huh? Gotta admit, the time I spend in FL and can flip off the winter is great. That transition from damned cold to damned warm though always makes me feel ill for the first couple of days.

      I've lived here too long to ever consider going back to true cold. I've felt -76 wind chills and -20's far too many times growing up to last a life time and then some. Cold literally hurts me [nerve necropathy and thyriod issues] and I will NEVER go back to those conditions :(

      Worst case I've been in was working in a deployment crew in northern Alberta stringing backup telecom equipment to remote cities and town. We got down to -44C and a steady windchill of -64C, even the computers started having problems especially since the vehicles we worked from weren't retrofitted for winter use, so no insulation those were still being flown out from Ontario. Though, those ass cold nights to make for some great star gazing. Wish I wasn't down in southern ontario for the eclipse last night though, you get enough light pollution just from the general population to wash things out.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    6. Re:it was cool by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Completely clear skies, a tad cold [46F]

      Jesus, cold??? Really? At 46F????

      Our windchill this morning was -40C.

      At 46F I'm still in shorts and a light sweater. Hell, at 34F I'm still in shorts and a light sweater.

      You have no idea what 'cold' is, apparently.

  19. And its FUCKING AWSOME by wolfheart111 · · Score: 1

    Damn rights Wolfie

    --
    [($)]
  20. Re:Did u use the flash by wolfheart111 · · Score: 1

    Would that work lol

    --
    [($)]
  21. Right now! by Misagon · · Score: 1

    Clear skies in Stockholm, at 6 in the morning. The weather report had warned of clouds but been wrong.

    I walked outside to an open field in -12 degrees C cold and gazed upon the super-blood-wolf-moon in the West.

    --
    "We mustn't be caught by surprise by our own advancing technology" -- Aldous Huxley
  22. It is... by hvidstue · · Score: 1

    ALWAYS a full moon at lunar eclipse

  23. From Austria by vikingpower · · Score: 1

    Photographed it at 6 AM CEST, at ~18 degrees above the Western horizon. Orange-red, with the upper (NE) limb still slightly yellow. Near-perfect viewing conditions: moderately frosty weather, clear sky, dry atmosphere (for AT conditions, that is), no wind to speak of.

    --
    Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
  24. Ignorant much? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How could the weather not be related to the climate? How is that even possible?

    1. Re:Ignorant much? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Remember the denialist mantra: ABC: Anything But Climate.

      Climate is not allowed to do ANYTHING, otherwise they scream in anguish "So climate can do ANYTHING, huh?!?!?!?!". Their brains are too small to take in TWO things at a time.

  25. Perfect here by Orgasmatron · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Well, it is 6 below zero (F), but the skies were perfectly clear for me. I was worried because the forecast for tonight has been saying "overcast" for days.

    It wasn't nearly as impressive as the solar eclipse of 2017, but still pretty neat.

    We've got snow cover here, so it is surprisingly bright with a full moon - enough light to read a book by, or drive without your headlights. As the penumbra moved in, I couldn't tell any difference looking at the moon, but I did notice that it was getting dark out. As the umbra moved in, it was plainly visible, and kinda screwy-looking. Many years ago, I got in the habit of reading partial phases of the moon as a pointer towards the present position of the sun, so it was odd that to me, the moon looked like it was pointing to a sun just under the northwest horizon.

    --
    See that "Preview" button?
    1. Re:Perfect here by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 1

      Exactly my experience, except all my kids were out in the snow staring up at the moon with me as the last sliver of sun-soaked surface winked out of view. (After playing hours of LOZ:BTW they were really excited to see a real blood moon.)

  26. Re:Not exactly blood red. More like orange by Type44Q · · Score: 1

    An irritated prolapse?

  27. Re:Impressive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If Trump is such a wolf, why does he let himself get pushed around, like a little BITCH, by a couple of women, like Coulter and Pelosi?

    Oh, never mind. Now I get the gist. You're referring to a female wolf.

    Carry on.

  28. "popular" meaning YOURS. Other cultures exist too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And, yes, according to the aboriginal americans, it was called commonly a wolf moon. Westerners did not, so when you pogrom'd the natives you didn't keep their culture common, only your own.

    Which you then fucked up royally.

  29. Did you read the summary? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's a supermoon. And a Wolf moon, which also only happens at a full moon. But supermoons don't always happen at lunar eclipses, nor do they only happen in january. So all three is like winning the lottery three times. Somehow each of those times of winning only happen when the winning numbers are drawn... for which you go "Duh, of course, so nothing to see here about someone winning it three times. Someone ALWAYS wins it when it's won!".

    Moron.

    1. Re:Did you read the summary? by geantvert · · Score: 1

      The Wolf moon part is absolutely irrelevant since this is just a name given to the full moon in January. The same event in August would be called a Sturgeon Moon Eclipse and in November that would be a Beaver Moon Eclipse.

      Also about 1/4 of all full moons can be classified as supermoons (3 or 4 per year) and supermoons are barely noticeable. Finally, there is Total Lunar Eclipses are also quite common (about 1 per year on average) and they are always visible from half of the world. So Supermoon Total Lunar eclipses are really not that rare. That is something that anyone can expect to see once every 10 years.

      For instance, the next total lunar eclipses will be 26 May 2021 and it will also be a Supermoon or, if your care about the month names, a Total Flower Supermoon eclipse.

  30. Blue moon etc by sjbe · · Score: 2, Informative

    For most of our lives the only full moon to be specially named in popular culture was the 'harvest moon' of September

    Really? You never heard of a "Blue Moon"? Just because YOU never heard of the other moons doesn't mean nobody else has.
    strawberry moon
    hunters moon
    The list goes on for every special moon if you bother to look. Also I'm guessing you never grew up around 4-H or FFA clubs. You likely would have heard of at least some of them if you had any meaningful relationship to agriculture.

    1. Re:Blue moon etc by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      “Blue Moon” is an expression not tied to a calendar month. Other than being a generali expression describing any rare event, it is applied to a second full moon in any month.

  31. Too cold for my bones by sjbe · · Score: 1

    I would have loved to photograph it but the temperature was a balmy -20C (-4F) last night and I'm not about to stand outside in that sort of temperature trying to keep my gear and myself from being killed by the laws of thermodynamics. Pity because the night was super clear and the air still because of the cold weather.

  32. Yes, people think that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But not all, some people think that the explanation isn't the explanation. How they can then think that a different explanation that doesn't explain a damn thing IS an explanation (therefore by their earlier assertion, cannot be the explanation, since that's just what you think the explanation is) quite escapes me.

    Tell you what, if the world ends on Sunday, I'll accept I was wrong. If the world is still here, your prediction is bullshit.

  33. Re:Too cold for my cameras. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wonder how many security cameras caught it?

  34. Like.. by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 1

    ...sunrise and sunset reflecting off a distant object ...because actually, that's what it is.

  35. Yes really by sjbe · · Score: 1

    But was January's full moon ever commonly called a wolf moon, or is this all just a relatively recent popularization to help fill the endless news cycle?

    You could have gotten that question answered on google in less time than it took to type that post. No it is nothing recent.

  36. Cold? by sjbe · · Score: 1

    Down here 60 is winter coat weather lol.

    60F is not winter coat weather anywhere. I've gone swimming at the beach in temperatures colder than that. If someone really thinks they need a winter coat for 60F weather then they need to see a doctor. If it was 60F here tomorrow I'd be going out sans jacket.

    In all seriousness though, I'm not a fan of the serious cold either. Last night it was -20C (-4F) where I live and that's cold enough that I wasn't about to go out and stand around in the cold to try to get a good photo. Pity because the sky conditions were great. I did try getting a photo from an open window but the heat from inside messed up the air too much to get good focus.

  37. Re:Too cold for my cameras. by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 2

    How many security cameras point straight up into the sky?

  38. Not sure about the Wow! factor by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 1

    Lunar eclipses are nice, but they don't really pack of much of a Wow!, especially when compared with their solar counterparts. Additionally, since they are global phenomena, everybody is far more likely to witness several during their lifetime. Most people will witness a solar one only if they are lucky, or if they make a point (and have the necessary wherewithal) to witness one.

  39. A little late by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1
    Posting this at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday is kinda late don'tyouthink?

    Especially if it's not from the eastern time zone.

    --
    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  40. the flash of a neon light, that split the night by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's true, the solar eclipse has way more wrong with it than the lunar eclipse. Mystery Red, Allais Effect, blurring and light at the inside outer edge of the moon.

    Mystery Red of the Great American Eclipse
    It has blood on it!
    ABCNews: Eclipse makes pendulum wander

  41. Re:Not exactly blood red. More like orange by thegreatbob · · Score: 1

    I have always likened the appearance to a well-worn copper coin.

    --
    There is no XUL, only WebExtensions...
  42. Regular does not require monthly by sjbe · · Score: 1

    “Blue Moon” is an expression not tied to a calendar month.

    Yes we are all aware of that.

    Other than being a generali expression describing any rare event, it is applied to a second full moon in any month.

    You seem to have missed the point. It is a special name for a full moon that occurs regularly. The fact that it isn't tied to a particular month on a calendar doesn't mean it doesn't happen regularly or that it doesn't have a special name or that it isn't well known in popular culture.

  43. And the Flat Earthers... by Jawnn · · Score: 1

    ...are, this morning, still curled up in a fetal position and whimpering.

  44. wandering stars, in blackest darkness forever by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They are looking the right direction, they just need to understand the powerful delusion.