Stargazers all over the world were treated to a rare event on the night of January 31^st.

We had a full lunar eclipse (the ‘blood’ moon, so called because the moon appears to look red as it passes into the shadow of the Earth), on the second full moon of the month (the rare ‘blue moon’ event – although for some, the eclipse did happen after midnight….which actually makes it February….but that could be getting a bit technical for some!)

And finally, it was also a ‘super moon’ – meaning that the moon was at the closest point to Earth in its orbit. Many believe that makes the moon appear larger in the sky, however astronomers tell us the difference is not really discernible, and the moons apparently larger size is more of an optical illusion, where objects on the horizon look bigger than objects higher in the sky. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful, thrilling sight!

For those who missed it, look out for more special upcoming 2018 astronomical events.