The weekend ahead of us has some pretty interesting events in store. If you are a space observer, make sure you get your telescope ready because from the evening of February 10 into the morning of Feb. 11, a snow moon, lunar eclipse, and New Year comet will light up the sky at the same time.
Each of the three phenomena is impressive in its own right, but having them all at once is a treat for the eyes.
Read on and find out what each of the three events brings about.
- Snow moon
This is just another name for February’s full moon. The fact that in February, there’s the highest amount of snowfall on average, is where the name derives from. As the snow moon will rise at 5:33p.m EST on Friday and set at 7:22 a.m., it’ll be quite easy to see up in the sky.
- New Year comet
The New Year comet, which is only visible every five and a quarter years, will shoot across the sky on Feb. 11. Its name derives from the fact that this comet started moving across the sky at the tail end of 2016.
- Lunar eclipse
Different from a solar eclipse, lunar eclipses occur when the sun, Earth, and moon line up. In other words, the moon is covered in a shadow when the Earth aligns in front of the sun making it appear red. This rare phenomenon will be visible to all living in Europe, Africa, and most of Asia and North America. According to AOL, the shadow will be mostly visible from 7:43p.m EST until 9:53 p.m. on Friday.
So, set your telescopes ready as this weekend is something you wouldn’t want to miss.
Via righthoughts.com