On Wednesday, January 31st (i.e. today!), a spectacular celestial event occurred. For those who live in the western part of North America, Alaska, and the Hawaiian islands, it was visible in the wee hours of the morning - and some people were disciplined enough to roll out of bed to see it! This was none other than the highly-anticipated "Super Blue Moon", a rare type of full moon that on this occasion was special for a number of reasons.
For one, it was the third in a series of "supermoons", where a Full Moon coincides with the Moon being closer in its orbit to Earth (aka. perigee) and thus appears larger. It was also the second full moon of the month, which is otherwise known as a "Blue Moon". Lastly, for those in right locations, the Moon also passed through the Earth's shadow, giving it a reddish tint (known as a "Red Moon" or "Blood Moon").
The super blue moon, taken by Kevin Gill in Los Angeles, CA, with a Canon EOS 60D mounted on a Celestron NexStar 6se. Credit: Kevin Gill
In short, you could say that what was occurred this morning was a "super blue blood moon." And as you can see, some truly awesome pictures were taken of this celestial event from all over the world. Here is a collection of pictures that a number of skilled photographers and star gazers have chosen to share with us. Enjoy!
A collage of images showing the transition of the super blue moon, taken by Braden Ottenbreit of Saskatchewan, Canada. Credit: Braden OttenbreitLong exposure photo of the super blue moon, taken by Marc Leatham in Cypress, CA. Credit: Marc LeathamEarly morning photo snapped outside of Pucklechurch, Bristol, by photographer Tim Graham. Credit: timgrahamphotorgraphyThe lunar eclipse captured in Shiraz, Iran using a Nikon D610A - Sigma 120-400 Apo. Credit: Alireza NadimiThe phases of the lunar eclipse of the Super Blue Blood Moon, taken by astrophographer Rami Ammoun. Credit: Rami AmmounSuper blue moon taken by Bray Falls in Arizona. Credit: @astrofallsA long exposure photo of the super blue moon taken over Los Angeles, CA. Credit: Hugo CortezA long-exposure shot of the super blue moon above San Francisco. Credit: Taylor Meehan
"Thanks to everyone who used the #universetoday hashtag on Instagram to let us know about your pictures. There are many many more in there, so check it out."
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