Blue moon toronto

Blue supermoon dazzles skywatchers in Toronto

The second full moon of January rose early this morning to plenty of oohs, aahs and snapping cameras around the GTA.

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Dubbed "extra special" by NASA, this wasn't just any full moon. It was a rare, super blue blood moon – the first celestial event of its kind in more than 150 years.

You see, a blue moon is what celestial buffs call the second full moon to rise in a month. We already saw one full moon – a super "wolf moon" rise this month on New Year's Day.

A blood moon gets its name from the eclipse part of the equation, as an eclipsed moon usually appears redder than usual thanks to how our atmosphere blends with light.

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Sadly, intense cloud coverage made it nearly impossible to see the eclipse when it peaked betwen 7:15 a.m. and 7:35 a.m. 

Still, all is not lost. If skies are clear tonight, the supermoon itself will still be visible.

If you're dead set on catching a super blue blood moon, you'll have another chance in about 10 years on Dec. 31, 2028. After that, space.com says we'll see another in 2037.

Lead photo by

Nicolo OZ Mathews


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