The ‘Super Bowl of moons’ greets Charlotte dawn

Charlotteans on Wednesday morning glimpsed a lunar trifecta that hasn’t happened in more than 150 years.

The “super blue blood moon eclipse,” dubbed by one NASA scientist the “Super Bowl of moons,” had three parts.

A super moon is the term for when a full moon is closest to Earth in its orbit, making it appeal larger and brighter than usual. The full moon Wednesday was also the second of the month, making it a blue moon. There was also a total lunar eclipse, although it was best visible in Asia, New Zealand and Australia.

On the East coast, the darkest part of Earth’s shadow on the moon began at 6:48 a.m., but the moon set less than a half-hour later. The next lunar eclipse visible in North America will be on Jan. 21, 2019.

This story was originally published January 31, 2018 at 9:59 AM with the headline "The ‘Super Bowl of moons’ greets Charlotte dawn."