If you happened to be awake a little after 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning, you may have seen the moon pass into the earth’s shadow in a total lunar eclipse.
You may also have noticed that the moon appeared larger than normal and had a red-orange color.
If you happened to sleep through the stunning astronomical event, the Salt Lake Tribune has you covered with pictures of the Super Flower Blood Moon.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) A red blood supermoon lunar eclipse is partially eclipsed by clouds as it descends over the Salt Lake valley early Wednesday, May 26, 2021.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) A red blood supermoon lunar eclipse is partially eclipsed by clouds as it descends over the Salt Lake valley early Wednesday, May 26, 2021.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) A red blood supermoon lunar eclipse sets over the Oquirrh Mountains early Wednesday, May 26, 2021.
The “Super” part of the moon’s name comes from the moon appearing larger than normal when it reached the point closest to Earth on its elliptical orbit.
The super moon occurred at the same time as the first total lunar eclipse in nearly 2 1/2 years, NPR reported. In the past 10 years, there have been only 10 total lunar eclipses. This one lasted just 15 minutes, according to NPR.
The “Blood” part comes from the moon taking on a red hue when, aligned with the sun and Earth, red-orange light was refracted through the Earth’s atmosphere.
And finally full moons that occur in May are sometimes known as flower moons, accounting for the “Flower” part of the name.
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