
The first — and only — total lunar eclipse of 2019 is happening on Sunday, January 20th, and those who live in North and South America will have a front row seat to the whole bloody show.
That’s because the sunlight has been scattered.
The light creeping around the sides of our planet is passing through a lot of atmosphere, and all of the molecules in our air cause certain types of light to, well, scatter.
But this effect is more pronounced for light on the blue end of the spectrum, which has much shorter wavelengths.
Indigenous tribes in North America used to keep track of the seasons by observing the full Moons, according to the Farmer’s Almanac, so they would give these events names.
Of course, “Super Blood Wolf Moon” is a bit of a mouthful to say, so feel free to stick with “lunar eclipse.”