Today - Later this month, astronomers and amateurs alike will look to the sky to witness a so-called "super blood moon."
If that sounds ominous, fret not. The super blood moon, visible on May 26 to part of the United States, is called that because it combines two lunar phenomena happening at once, according to Michael Shanahan, the planetarium director at the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey.
The "super" part addresses a supermoon event, which takes place when a full moon is slightly closer to the Earth than usual, thus appearing bigger. Supermoons happen a few times a year, but recently they have become popular with sky watchers.
The "blood" aspect comes from a "blood moon," a term for a total lunar eclipse. It gives the moon a crimson appearance.
"The full moon goes into the dark inner shadow the earth," Shanahan told TODAY by email. "However, while our atmosphere blocks the shorter wavelengths such as blue light, it does allow the longer wavelengths of red light to pass through our atmosphere and continue on to the moon, so....READ MORE
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