'Super blood moon' eclipse to embellish sky

A composite photo shows the progress of the total lunar eclipse on Jan. 31, 2018. Courtesy of Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

By Yoon Ja-young

There will be a rare event in the sky Wednesday night (KST), in which a large “supermoon” will undergo a total lunar eclipse and appear red.

According to the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, people here will see the biggest full moon of this year. As the full moon coincides with it being at its closest to the Earth, around 357,000 kilometers away, it will appear larger than usual.

This moon will coincide with a total lunar eclipse. As the sun, the Earth and the moon align, the moon will be immersed in the Earth's shadow. However, it doesn't mean the moon will be invisible. As only the sunlight refracted by the Earth's atmosphere can reach the moon, it will appear blood red in color.

It will be the first synchronized occurrence of a “supermoon” and total lunar eclipse since Jan. 31, 2018.

The moon will start passing through the Earth's shadow around 6:44 p.m. However, the phenomenon will be visible here only after 7:36 p.m. when the moon rises.

The moon will be completely immersed in the Earth's shadow by 8:09 p.m. The total lunar eclipse will continue until 8:27 p.m., and the moon will come out of the Earth's shadow at 9:52 p.m.

While the event will be visible in the southeastern sky without high buildings or mountains throughout the country, weather could be a problem. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, most parts of the country will be cloudy.

People in Korea will see the next total lunar eclipse on Nov. 8, 2022.

Wednesday's rare celestial event will also be livestreamed by the National Science Museum and Gwacheon National Science Museum.