Super Blue Blood Moon

For the first time in over 150 years, we had a Super Blue Blood Moon here on our farm. Super because it was at the closest point in its orbit around the earth and so looks bigger, Blue because it was the second full moon of the month, and Blood because it was eclipsed by the earth, letting only the red wave lengths from the sun reach the moon.

Johnny woke me up at 2:30 a.m. on January 30th to watch it eclipse. Alas, I had told him 2:30 instead of 4:30. And, more alas, we had thought January 30th was Jan. 31st. After sitting on a pillow upstairs staring out the window at the moon for awhile, which seemed to have no interest in eclipsing, I checked the computer and discovered we were up a day early. But I had taken a picture of the moon-that-looked-full on my way out to do evening chores at 7 p.m., thinking it was the Super Blue Moon soon to be Blood red. So here it is:

It may have been a day early but it looked full to me.

 And zoomed up close, it was quite lovely. A Super Moon, indeed.

 Why this image came out with a blue halo, I have no idea. But it made it look like a Blue Moon.

Of course, it did not eclipse so I did not get an early morning shot of a Blood Moon. In fact, I got no photo at all on the morning of the eclipse, Jan. 31, because clouds covered our sky. The only way we knew the moon was there was because the sky was somewhat light, at least we could see the tree out the window. We were lying on the guest room bed looking out that window, willing the clouds to dissipate. And periodically going upstairs to watch NASA's live feed of the eclipse from California, where the skies were clear.

But at 4 a.m., when the moon was totally eclipsed behind the clouds, we looked out back and realized that the night had become pitch dark. The moon was in eclipse! But no red hue behind those clouds for us. So I stole this one from NASA. I cannot figure out to downsize it, so here is the Super Blue Blood Moon, super sized.

We have another chance at a lunar eclipse, also a Super Moon, next January 21st. It will not be a Blue Moon, however. I just hope the skies are clear on that night. Surely we will get the date right, since January 21st is Johnny's birthday. A Happy Birthday Super Blood Moon!