‘Super Blood Moon Eclipse’ is coming in January and crackpot conspiracy theorists think it signals the end of the world
On January 21, the full moon will become fully tinted with the red-orange colour of sunset - sparking fears of an impending apocalypse
CRACKPOT conspiracy theorists think the Super Blood Moon Eclipse will signal the end of the world.
On January 21, the full moon will become fully tinted with the red-orange colour of sunset - sparking fears of an impending apocalypse.
But loony stargazers believe the world will end after series of four consecutive lunar eclipses.
The prophecy states that a tetrad coinciding on Jewish holidays with six full moons in between and no intervening partial lunar eclipses is a sign of the beginning of the end of times.
On January 21, the full moon will become fully tinted with the red-orange colour of sunset.
The spectacle will combine three fascinating events in what's known as a 'super blood moon' eclipse.
UK stargazers can catch the event on the morning of January 21, from around 2:37am.
Over the course of the next three and a half hours, you'll see a bright orange hue creep across the face of the full moon, forming a "blood moon".
For those unwilling to watch the full show, head out at around 5:15am to see the eclipse at its peak.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth’s shadow completely covers the moon.
The scattering of the Sun's light as it hits our atmosphere causes the reddish glow.
According to Nasa: “The exact colour that the moon appears depends on the amount of dust and clouds in the atmosphere.
“If there are extra particles in the atmosphere, from say a recent volcanic eruption, the moon will appear a darker shade of red.”
January's lunar eclipse is also a supermoon - meaning it'll be brighter and larger than normal.
This is because the moon's orbit will take it unusually close to Earth, giving stargazers a spectacular lunar show.
The moniker was coined in 1979 and is often used to describe a full moon happening near or at the time when the moon is at its closest point in its orbit around Earth.
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Supermoons may appear as much as 14% closer and 30% brighter than the moon on an average night.
The moon’s average distance from Earth is around 238,000 miles.
Do you plan on watching January's supermoon? Let us know in the comments!
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