Don’t Miss The ‘Super Blood Wolf Moon’

Don’t forget to mark your calendar because the only total lunar eclipse of 2019 is set to happen Sunday night, with a little something extra special.

Stargazers will have the rare opportunity to see the full moon pass through the shadow of the Earth, but more than that, due to a number of combined factors, they will be able to see a “super blood wolf moon.”

The eclipse will be visible from anywhere in the U.S. for 62 minutes on Sunday night, as well as South America and parts of Europe and Africa.

Called a “super moon,” it’s when the moon is closer to Earth, and therefore looks larger and brighter than it normally does.

Rice University astrophysicist Patrick Hartigan tells the AP in this story: “During totality, the moon will look red because of sunlight scattering off Earth’s atmosphere. That’s why an eclipsed moon is sometimes known as a blood moon. In January, the full moon is also sometimes known as the wolf moon or great spirit moon.”

The partial phase is set to begin around 10:34 p.m. EST Sunday, which is when Earth’s shadow will begin to pass over the moon. Totality — when Earth’s shadow completely blankets the moon — will last 62 minutes, beginning at 11:41 p.m. EST Sunday. Depending on location, the eclipse will last about an hour to three hours.