Total lunar eclipse, super 'blood moon'
Philippine astronomers will have a picnic on Wednesday, because there will be two celestial events happening at the same time that day. According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), the overmoon that occurs when the moon orbit is closest to the earth will make the Philippines sky beautiful. It will be brighter and larger than the normal full moon, hence the name "Super Moon". At the same time, due to a total lunar eclipse, the moon's hue will also be reddish. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), this dye will come from sunlight filtered in the earth's atmosphere, so it can be called a "blood moon."
Lunar eclipses are safe to watch and observers need not use any kind of protective filters for the eyes. A pair of binocular will help magnify the view and will make the red coloration of the Moon brighter," it added. The moon will darken and turn red a result of sunlight refracting off the Earth's rim onto the lunar surface basking our satellite in a sunrise- or sunset-tinged glow.
Unlike a solar eclipse, the phenomenon will be safely visible to the naked eye. This eclipse will be different because it happens during a "super moon," when the moon passes a mere 360,000 kilometers (225,000 miles) from Earth.