Super blood wolf moon casts 'spectacular' glow over Edmonton
The moon was bathed in Earth's shadow for an hour
Edmonton shutterbugs were howling at the moon Sunday night as the moon beamed an eerie red before it was fully eclipsed by Earth's shadow.
The event was called a "super blood wolf moon," and crystal clear skies gave Edmontonians a perfect view of the celestial phenomenon.
During a lunar eclipse, the moon passes through a shadow cast out into space by Earth.
This never gets old. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LunarEclipse?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LunarEclipse</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LunarEclipse2019?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LunarEclipse2019</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SuperBloodMoon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SuperBloodMoon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/superbloodwolfmooneclipse2019?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#superbloodwolfmooneclipse2019</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/moon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#moon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/space?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#space</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/redmoon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#redmoon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yeg?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yeg</a> <a href="https://t.co/VqeZi3ZX5m">pic.twitter.com/VqeZi3ZX5m</a>
—@Stinalena
The moon playing peek a boo as the lunar eclipse is kicking in over <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yeg?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yeg</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/lunareclipse2019?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#lunareclipse2019</a> <a href="https://t.co/dMmajBofvd">pic.twitter.com/dMmajBofvd</a>
—@mlphotography77
A total eclipse, visible to only half the world, occurs when the central, dark part of the shadow obscures all of the moon's surface, leaving a glowing red ring.
The gleaming sphere, known as a blood moon, was surrounded by glittering stars and the planet Uranus, which are usually drowned out by the moon's bright glow.
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The entire eclipse took more than three hours. Totality — when the moon is completely bathed in Earth's shadow — lasted an hour.
The next total lunar eclipse won't be until May 2021.
It was also the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position.
Countless skywatchers took to social media to share their images of the rare sight.
Well, this <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/oilers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#oilers</a> game is thoroughly disappointing. Time to watch the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/eclipse?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#eclipse</a> instead 🌙 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yeg?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yeg</a> <a href="https://t.co/twEOxBAMOI">pic.twitter.com/twEOxBAMOI</a>
—@samuelgbrooks
That was pretty spectacular <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LunarEclipse2019?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LunarEclipse2019</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yeg?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yeg</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/EdmontonRASC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EdmontonRASC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LunarEclipse?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LunarEclipse</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BloodWolfMoon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BloodWolfMoon</a> <a href="https://t.co/IB8bBuY8jo">pic.twitter.com/IB8bBuY8jo</a>
—@BeautyReflectTS
Moonrise tonight over the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Coliseum?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Coliseum</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Commonwealth?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Commonwealth</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YEG?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YEG</a>...lunar eclipse on deck soon! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LunarEclipse?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LunarEclipse</a> <a href="https://t.co/oT92W25H6I">pic.twitter.com/oT92W25H6I</a>
—@satchmo35