Universe Today
On Wednesday, January 31st (i.e. today!), a spectacular celestial event occurred. For those who live in the western part of North America, Alaska, and the Hawaiian islands, it was visible in the wee hours of the morning - and some people were disciplined enough to roll out of bed to see it! This was none other than the highly-anticipated "Super Blue Moon", a rare type of full moon that on this occasion was special for a number of reasons.
For one, it was the third in a series of "supermoons", where a Full Moon coincides with the Moon being closer in its orbit to Earth (aka. perigee) and thus appears larger. It was also the second full moon of the month, which is otherwise known as a "Blue Moon". Lastly, for those in right locations, the Moon also passed through the Earth's shadow, giving it a reddish tint (known as a "Red Moon" or "Blood Moon").
In short, you could say that what was occurred this morning was a “super blue blood moon.” And as you can see, some truly awesome pictures were taken of this celestial event from all over the world. Here is a collection of pictures that a number of skilled photographers and star gazers have chosen to share with us. Enjoy!
"Thanks to everyone who used the #universetoday hashtag on Instagram to let us know about your pictures. There are many many more in there, so check it out."
