Photo of the day: Super blood moon rises over Detroit

Sep 28, 2015 at 10:57 am
If you missed last night's rare super blood moon — we're sorry to say you're S.O.L. The next occurrence won't happen until the year 2033.

If you're playing catch-up, a "super blood moon" is the confluence of three things, USA Today reports.

The moon will be full and in its closest point in its orbit around the Earth, making it a so-called supermoon, according to Dr. David Wolf, a former NASA astronaut and "extraordinary scientist in residence" for The Children's Museum. Supermoons appear 14% larger and 33% brighter than other full moons.

In addition to this, a lunar eclipse will occur. In other words, the Earth will line up directly with the sun and moon, directly between the two, Wolf said. So the "moon will completely fall in the shadow of the Earth," he said.

Because a lot of light scatters off the Earth's atmosphere, the moon will not look completely dark but have a coppery red color — hence the blood moon moniker.

Thanks to redditer DomeyDion, we're able to relive the phenomenon as it occurred over Detroit last night. Major hat tip for this photo.

Photo of the day: Super blood moon rises over Detroit
DomeyDion, Reddit