1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,520 [ MUSIC ] 2 00:00:03,540 --> 00:00:14,530 A Supermoon Trilogy – Presented by Science@NASA 3 00:00:14,550 --> 00:00:18,960 Mark your calendars: a series of three supermoons will appear on the celestial stage 4 00:00:18,980 --> 00:00:26,810 on December 3, 2017, January 1, 2018, and January 31, 2018. 5 00:00:26,830 --> 00:00:34,200 A supermoon is a Moon that is full when it is also at or near its closest point in its orbit around Earth. 6 00:00:34,220 --> 00:00:42,810 Since the Moon’s orbit is elliptical, one side (apogee) is about 30,000 miles (50,000 km) 7 00:00:42,830 --> 00:00:45,880 farther from Earth than the other (perigee). 8 00:00:45,900 --> 00:00:50,830 Nearby perigee full Moons appear about 14% bigger and 30% brighter 9 00:00:50,850 --> 00:00:55,090 than full Moons that occur near apogee in the Moon's orbit. 10 00:00:55,110 --> 00:01:00,040 “The supermoons are a great opportunity for people to start looking at the Moon, 11 00:01:00,060 --> 00:01:02,850 not just that once but every chance they have!” 12 00:01:02,870 --> 00:01:07,380 says Noah Petro, a research scientist from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. 13 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:11,020 It’s hard for our eyes to distinguish these small changes in size 14 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:15,700 when the Moon is high amidst the vastness of the night sky. 15 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:19,320 But any time you catch a full Moon as it rises or sets, 16 00:01:19,340 --> 00:01:24,370 while it’s suspended low on the horizon beaming through the silhouettes of trees or buildings, 17 00:01:24,390 --> 00:01:27,750 its apparent size might make you do a double-take. 18 00:01:27,770 --> 00:01:33,710 You almost feel as though you could reach out, grab the glowing orb, and drop it into your coffee cup. 19 00:01:33,730 --> 00:01:35,300 Even more so if it’s a supermoon. 20 00:01:35,320 --> 00:01:42,570 If you can catch only one episode of the supermoon trilogy, catch the third one. It will be extra special. 21 00:01:42,590 --> 00:01:48,850 First of all, the January 31st supermoon will feature a total lunar eclipse, 22 00:01:48,870 --> 00:01:54,330 with totality viewable from western North America across the pacific to Eastern Asia. 23 00:01:54,350 --> 00:02:00,650 The Moon’s orbit around our planet is tilted so it usually falls above or below the shadow of the Earth. 24 00:02:00,670 --> 00:02:05,910 About twice each year, a full Moon lines up perfectly with the Earth and Sun 25 00:02:05,930 --> 00:02:12,560 such that Earth’s shadow totally blocks the Sun’s light, which would normally reflect off the Moon. 26 00:02:12,580 --> 00:02:18,050 “The lunar eclipse on January 31 will be visible during moonset. 27 00:02:18,070 --> 00:02:21,170 Folks in the Eastern United States, where the eclipse will be partial, 28 00:02:21,190 --> 00:02:25,780 will have to get up in the morning to see it,” notes Petro. “But it’s another great chance to watch the Moon.” 29 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:31,010 The Moon will lose its brightness and take on an eerie, fainter-than-normal glow 30 00:02:31,030 --> 00:02:34,770 from the scant sunlight that makes its way through Earth’s atmosphere. 31 00:02:34,790 --> 00:02:39,800 Often cast in a reddish hue because of the way the atmosphere bends the light, 32 00:02:39,820 --> 00:02:43,410 totally eclipsed Moons are sometimes called ‘blood Moons.’ 33 00:02:43,430 --> 00:02:50,180 “We’re seeing all of the Earth’s sunrises and sunsets at that moment reflected from the surface of the Moon,” 34 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:54,250 says Sarah Noble, a Program Scientist at NASA headquarters. 35 00:02:54,270 --> 00:02:58,550 The January 31st supermoon will also be the second full Moon of the month. 36 00:02:58,570 --> 00:03:06,160 Some people call the second full Moon in a month a Blue Moon, that makes it a super ‘blue Moon.’ 37 00:03:06,180 --> 00:03:10,690 Blue Moons happen every two and a half years, on average. 38 00:03:10,710 --> 00:03:15,830 With the total eclipse, it’ll be a royal spectacle indeed: a ‘super blue blood’ Moon. 39 00:03:15,850 --> 00:03:20,790 Sometimes the celestial rhythms sync up just right to wow us. 40 00:03:20,810 --> 00:03:24,070 Heed your calendar reminders. On the three dates marked, 41 00:03:24,090 --> 00:03:30,750 step out into the moonset or moonrise and look up for a trilogy of sky watching treats!