On January 20, look to the skies for a total lunar eclipse of epic proportions.

The heavens are aligning for one awesome astronomical event January 20-21: A Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse. 

"A what?" you may ask. There's a lot going on with this one, so here's the breakdown.

Total Lunar Eclipse: This is the main event. A total lunar eclipse is also referred to as a blood moon. Though eclipses aren't that rare, this total eclipse is the only one we'll see until May 26, 2021. 

Super Moon: This means that the moon is at the time of the month that it is closest to the Earth. It will appear larger and brighter than it normally does. 

Wolf Moon: The first full moon of the year. The name comes from Native American roots, according to the Farmer's Almanac. "Amid the cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside villages,” the Farmer’s Almanac says.

Put it all together, and you have the star of winter 2019, the Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse! This is the first time in three years that we've seen a total lunar eclipse, and I'd say it's a once-in-a-blue-moon thing, except the Super Blue Moon Total Lunar Eclipse happened last year around this time. 

This epic eclipse will be visible to people in North and South America, as well as parts of Asia and Europe. 

It will begin on Sunday, Jan. 20 at 11:41 p.m. EST (9:41 p.m. MST). Peak will occur at 12:16 a.m. EST on Jan. 21 (10:16 p.m. MST), with totality lasting until 12:44 a.m. EST (10:44 p.m. MST).

This year is really one for the books when it comes to the astronomical events, though not all of these will be visible to everyone across the world. There will be five eclipses (solar and lunar), three supermoons, a blue moon, multiple meteor showers, a close approach of moon and Jupiter, and a rare appearance of Mercury.

Becky Talley
A Colorado native, Becky’s a confirmed word nerd who loves to write about and photograph this great state! Give a wave and say "Hi" if you see her hiking out and about on the trails or geeking out over historical tours of colorful Colorado, preferably, of the haunted variety. She's always happy to learn about the new, cool, creepy and bizarre, so feel free to share story ideas with her on Twitter!
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