What you need to know about the January 31 super blue blood moon

Stages of the super blue blood moon, as depicted by NASA.

By Stefanie Donahue

Be sure to set an early alarm for a super blue blood moon slated to grace the Hawaiian Islands, Alaska and western parts of North America on Wednesday, January 31, NASA reports.

The ultra-rare, “lunar trifecta” is a combination of a lunar eclipse, blood moon and a super moon and won’t happen again for another 150 years. According to NASA, a super blue moon will enter Earth’s shadow to create a total lunar eclipse, during that time it will take on a reddish-hue and become a blood moon.

“For the [continental] US, the viewing will be best in the West,” said program executive and lunar blogger at NASA, Gordon Johnston. “Set your alarm early and go out and take a look.”

According NASA, areas in California and Western Canada will experience the total eclipse. Viewers in Whatcom County will have to wake up before sunrise to see the eclipse. The totality phase ends at about 6:05 a.m., so the best time to view it is between 5 and 6 a.m.

“Weather permitting, the West Coast, Alaska and Hawaii will have a spectacular view of totality from start to finish,” Johnston said in a NASA blog post. “Unfortunately, eclipse viewing will be more challenging in the Eastern time zone. The eclipse begins at 5:51 a.m. ET, as the moon is about to set in the western sky and the sky is getting lighter in the east.”

For those who are reluctant to jaunt outside to see the moon, NASA will live stream the eclipse on its website, nasa.gov/nasalive.