Rare 'Super Blood Moon' Appears Worldwide After More Than 30 Years | The Weather Channel
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A rare full moon, supermoon and lunar eclipse trio had stargazers around the world watching the skies.

ByAda Carr
September 28, 2015Updated: September 28, 2015, 10:18 am EDTPublished: September 28, 2015, 10:18 am EDT


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The perigee full moon, or supermoon, appears red behind the quadriga of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Monday morning, Sept. 28, 2015. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)


For the first time in more than 30 years, skywatchers worldwide had the opportunity to see a rare full moon, supermoon and lunar eclipse combination. 

The event took place Sunday night, beginning with the appearance of the full moon and supermoon. As reported by weather.com, a supermoon appears each month as the moon orbits the earth. Because its orbit is an imperfect circle, the moon comes closer at times and appears larger in the sky.

(MORE: Chinese Airlines Offer Moon-Viewing Flights)

What made this particular supermoon special is the fact that it appeared in conjunction with a lunar eclipse, creating a “Super Blood Moon.” Light still reaches the moon as it passes through Earth’s atmosphere and red light tends to make it through easier during an eclipse, weather.com also reports. This gives the moon a reddish glow, hence the nickname “blood moon.”

There was a lot of anticipation for the atypical celestial occurrence, however some were unable to get a good view due to weather conditions.

“Cloud cover obscured the view of the lunar eclipse Sunday night for many, especially in the South and Ohio Valley, as well as along a cold front in portions of the Plains,” said weather.com meteorologist Linda Lam.

Even if the Supermoon wasn’t visible in your location, plenty of stargazers shared photos and videos online. 

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Orange Moon


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The orange moon spotted over Nancy, Kentucky, Tuesday night. (Bradley Albertson/Twitter)


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