CINCINNATI -- The Tri-State is in for a unique sight on Wednesday morning: a super blue blood moon eclipse.
That's a lot of words to describe a full moon, so let's break down what's happening.
Super refers to the super moon state on Wednesday morning. This means the moon will look 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter in the night sky. This is actually the second super moon in the month of January.
Speaking of second full moon, that leads to our blue moon status. The moon doesn't actually look blue, it's just the name given to a second full moon in a calendar month.
And now we are down to the final and most visually interesting aspect of the full moon: the blood moon eclipse. A complete lunar eclipse will begin around 7 a.m. EST Wednesday when the black shadow from earth starts to cover the moon. Then by 7:51 a.m., the moon will be totally eclipsed. But instead of going completely dark, the moon will turn a blood orange color. Then the eclipse will reverse.
Here's what we'll see locally according to Outreach Educator Sam Pepper with the Cincinnati Observatory:
- 6 a.m. - The surface of the moon will start to take on a yellowish appearance.
- 7 a.m. - The black shadow from the earth will start to cover the moon as the moon slowly turns more orange, too.
- 7:40 a.m. - The moon reaches 85 percent eclipse state before it sets on the northern horizon.
Basically put, Tri-Staters will miss the full show because the moon will set below the horizon. But if you look north at a 20 degree angle above the horizon from 7 to 7:40 a.m., you'll get the see the first part of the event.
The best viewing will be along the West Coast, Alaska, Hawaii and over into Australia.
