Why You Should Make Plans Now To Witness 2019’s ‘Super Blood Wolf Moon’, Total Solar Eclipse

Most people don’t see and experience the most exciting astronomical events not because they don’t care, but because they don’t make a plan. So here’s some advance warning. 2019 will start with a rare ‘Super Blood Wolf Moon’ eclipse, but it’s only the first of many incredible stargazing events in 2019. From eclipses and comets to supermoons and a Transit of Mercury, here’s exactly when, where and why to look up at the night sky during 2019.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE9LTj9Odig

1 – Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse

When: Sunday/Monday, January 20/21, 2019

What a way to start a year of spectacular celestial sights. With Earth between the Sun and Moon, our satellite in its ‘full’ phase will turn a gorgeous red-orange-copper color for an hour or so during this Total Lunar Eclipse. Totality is at 9:12 p.m. PST on January 20 and 00:12 a.m. EST on January 21 from North America, but do look for the change from partial eclipse to total eclipse over the preceding hour or so. The event goes into reverse afterward. It’s visible on the night-side of Earth, which includes South America, the eastern Pacific Ocean, the western Atlantic Ocean, and extreme western Europe. It’s also a Supermoon (when the moon is closer to Earth than average, so appears slightly larger), and the last Total Lunar Eclipse visible from the U.S. until May 2021, so enjoy it while you can.

2 – Venus & Jupiter’s ‘double kiss’

When: Tuesday, January 22 & Sunday, November 24, 2019

Get up early the next day after the ‘Blood Moon’ to see a beautiful ‘conjunction’ – close pairing – of the planets Venus and Jupiter in the pre-dawn sky. They will be just 2.4 degrees apart in the eastern sky. Later in the year on November 24, there’s another chance when the two planets appear an even closer 1.4 degrees apart in the western sky just after sunset.

3 – A trio of Supermoons

When: Sunday/Monday, January 20/21, Tuesday, February 19, Thursday & March 21

Most folk think the term ‘supermoon’ applies only to a full moon, but actually, it’s all and only about how close the moon is to earth relative to its average distance. There are three supermoons in the first few months of 2019, of which this is the first. Will the full moon look bigger than usual? Probably not much, but catch it as it rises at dusk and it will look impressive pale orange as it appears behind buildings.

4 – The Milky Way & a meteor shower

When: Monday/Tuesday, May 6/7, 2019

There’s a distinct ‘Milky Way season’ when it comes to observing, and it begins in May when our galaxy appears as a band across the eastern night sky just after dusk. May 6/7 is also when the Eta Aquarids meteor shower peaks under a moonless sky, which could see as many as 60 shooting stars per hour. So it’s a fine evening to go out looking for both celestial sights.