January 2018 will be marked by two supermoons
We’ve written about Croatian folk traditions to be practiced on January 1 to ensure a fine deal of good fortune in the coming year. How about topping it off with some sky gazing?
According to NASA, the first day of 2018 will also bring the first supermoon of the year. The second is about to follow a few weeks later, on January 31, reports 24sata on December 31, 2017.
Supermoon, also known as wolf moon, is a phenomenon that occurs when the moon is full at the same time its position on its orbit is closest to Earth – 360.493 kilometres away at most. The position makes it appear approximately 14% bigger and 30% brighter than usual, making for a spectacular sight to be observed in night-time.
According to CNN, the second supermoon of the month will feature a total lunar eclipse, an occurrence that has the Earth, the sun and the moon line up in a specific way, with the Earth blocking the sunlight so it doesn’t reflect off the moon’s surface. The moon thus won’t be as bright as on January 1, but will still be visible throughout the world. The second supermoon in a single month, nicknamed ‘blue supermoon’, occurs every two and a half year on average.
If we get lucky enough with the weather, we’ll be able to see the supermoon in the night of January 1 in Croatia, with the best moment to look up at the sky being 3:24 in the morning. Those who are unwilling to stay up that late just to gaze at the moon don’t have to worry, as the celestial event will be visible from moonrise and throughout the night. If there’s a time of year when all of us can get away with some silliness, it’s the holidays – go out, look up, and howl!
