What Would a Super Wolf Blood Moon Look Like?

Have you ever heard of a Super Wolf Blood Moon?

What do you think it would look like?

Why do you think it has this name?

Close your eyes and imagine what this Super Wolf Blood Moon looks like. Could you draw a picture of what you imagine?

The Super Wolf Blood MoonA Super Wolf Blood Moon is very rare and will be visible in the UK on 21st January 2019.

The Super Wolf Blood Moon will be visible from 2.30 a.m. until 7.30 a.m. across the UK, but it is believed the best time to see it will be around 5 a.m.

This will be the only total lunar eclipse of 2019.

A total lunar eclipse happens when the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow over the Moon.

Did You Know…?You don’t need any eye protection to look at a lunar eclipse unlike a solar eclipse. There is no danger to your eyes.

What Makes a Super Wolf Blood Moon?

The Moon isn’t a light source. We can usually see the Moon because it reflects sunlight. In a total lunar eclipse, the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, cutting off the Moon’s light supply.

The Super Wolf Blood Moon is rare because it happens when three types of moon (Supermoon, Wolf Moon and Blood Moon) occur at the same time.

Would you like to see the Super Wolf Blood Moon on 21st January?You will need to set your alarm for 5 a.m. for the best possible chance!

A SupermoonA Supermoon looks gigantic in the night sky. It happens when the Moon is at the closest point to us in its orbit to the Earth. This point of orbit closest to Earth is called perigee.

In a Supermoon, the Moon can appear 14% bigger and 30% brighter than normal.

You should be able to see it out of your window.

A Wolf MoonA Wolf Moon is the name given to the first full moon in January. It is the first full moon of the year.

Wolf Moon was a term originally used by Native Americans.

They would often hear wolves howling to the Moon and believed a full moon to be very significant.

A Blood MoonA Blood Moon looks a dark red colour in the night sky. It can be very dramatic and, at times, people have thought that a Blood Moon brings bad news or unfortunate events.

However, there is a scientific explanation for a Blood Moon. The moon looks red due to the Rayleigh scattering, which makes the sky blue and causes red sunrises and sunsets. It is a natural phenomenon.

Why do you think people would have been frightened by a Blood Moon in the past? What do you think they would have thought caused the

Blood Moon?

How Does the Super Wolf Blood Moon Work?

When the Moon, Earth and the Sun are aligned like this, the sunlight is filtered through the Earth’s shadow and looks red because of the Moon’s glow in the Earth’s shadow.

What will be seen on the night will depend on the weather, for example clouds could prevent us seeing the Super Wolf Blood Moon at all. The UK

is not the most reliable location for weather!