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2-for-1: Total lunar eclipse comes with supermoon bonus

The Associated Press

January 21, 2019, 4:22 AM

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The only total lunar eclipse this year and next came with a supermoon bonus.

On Sunday night, the moon, Earth and sun lined up to create the eclipse, which was visible throughout North and South America, where skies were clear. There won’t be another until the year 2021.

It was also the year’s first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position.

The moon fully shadowed by the Earth is seen above the castle of Salgo during a total lunar eclipse near Salgotarjan, 109 kms northeast of Budapest, Hungary, early Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. (Peter Komka/MTI via AP)
Peter Komka/MTI via AP
Lunar eclipse The lunar eclipse on Jan. 20, 2019 as captured in Clarksburg, Maryland by photographer Dennis Kan. (Courtesy Dennis Kan)
Courtesy Dennis Kan
WTOP listener William Workinger sent in this photo he took in Virginia. (Courtesy William Workinger)
Courtesy William Workinger
WTOP listener William Workinger sent in this photo he took in Virginia. (Courtesy William Workinger)
Courtesy William Workinger
WTOP listener Dennis Kan of Maryland submitted this image showing the moon's sequence overnight. (Courtesy Dennis Kan)
Courtesy Dennis Kan
The full moon is seen after a lunar eclipse in Marseille, southern France, early Monday Jan. 21 2019. It's also the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position to Earth. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)
AP Photo/Claude Paris
The full moon rises above a building during a lunar eclipse in Marseille, southern France, early Monday Jan. 21 2019. It's also the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position to Earth. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)
AP Photo/Claude Paris
The full moon is seen during a lunar eclipse in Marseille, southern France, early Monday Jan. 21 2019. It's also the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position to Earth. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)
AP Photo/Claude Paris
The full moon is seen during a lunar eclipse in Marseille, southern France, early Monday Jan. 21 2019. It's also the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position to Earth.(AP Photo/Claude Paris)
AP Photo/Claude Paris
The moon fully shadowed by the Earth is seen next to a steeple during a total lunar eclipse in Salgotarjan, 109 kms northeast of Budapest, Hungary, early Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. (Peter Komka/MTI via AP)
Peter Komka/MTI via AP
An aircraft passes the full moon as the lunar eclipse begins in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
AP Photo/Michael Probst
The moon begins to emerge from its totality as sunlight hits the moon as it moves out of the Earth's shadow, seen above Brighton, south east England, Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. During totality, the moon will look red because of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. It was also the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
AP Photo/Alastair Grant
The Earth's shadow falls totally across full moon seen above Brighton, south east England, Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. During totality, the moon will look red because of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. It was also the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
AP Photo/Alastair Grant
The Earth casts its shadow across the full moon ahead of a total eclipse of the moon seen above Brighton, south east England, Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. During totality, the moon will look red because of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. It was also the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
AP Photo/Alastair Grant
The moon is seen in its waxing gibbous stage as it rises behind the Empire State Building, left, with the Lackawanna rail and ferry station tower seen at right, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019, from Jersey City, N.J. The moon will experience a lunar eclipse, when the earth moves directly between the sun and the moon, and will be seen across the United States late Sunday night. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
A blood moon rises above Christ the Redeemer statue during a lunar eclipse in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. It's also the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position to Earth. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
A full moon rises over a tree early Monday Jan. 21 2019, in Milan, Italy. Sunday night, the Earth slid directly between the moon and the sun, creating a total lunar eclipse. It was also the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
AP Photo/Luca Bruno
A woman stands watching the full moon, at the City Life neighborhood, early Monday Jan. 21 2019, in Milan, Italy. Sunday night, the Earth slid directly between the moon and the sun, creating a total lunar eclipse. It was also the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
AP Photo/Luca Bruno
A blood moon rises above Christ the Redeemer statue during a lunar eclipse in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. It's also the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position to Earth. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
AP Photo/Leo Correa
This combination photo shows the totally eclipsed moon, center, and others at the different stages during a total lunar eclipse, as seen from Los Angeles, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019. It was also the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position. During totality, the moon will look red because of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. That's why an eclipsed moon is sometimes known as a blood moon. In January, the full moon is also sometimes known as the wolf moon or great spirit moon. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu
The full moon is seen during a lunar eclipse in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
AP Photo/Michael Probst
A lunar eclipse progresses behind a Russian national flag in St. Petersburg, Russia, Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. The moon experiences an eclipse when the earth moves directly between the sun and the moon. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky
In this photo made with a 12-1/2 inch telescope and provided by Johnny Horne, the totally eclipsed moon glows with a reddish color against the background stars over Stedman, N.C., Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. It was also the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position. During totality, the moon will look red because of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. That's why an eclipsed moon is sometimes known as a blood moon. In January, the full moon is also sometimes known as the wolf moon or great spirit moon. (Johnny Horne via AP)
Johnny Horne via AP
The moon is framed in a statue on the state Capitol during a total lunar eclipse Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019, in Sacramento, Calif. The entire eclipse will exceed three hours. Totality-when the moon's completely bathed in the Earth's shadow-will last an hour. Expect the eclipsed or blood moon, to turn red from the sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli
This combination photo shows the moon at the four different moments during a total lunar eclipse in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. It's also the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position to Earth. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
AP Photo/Eraldo Peres
A lunar eclipse progresses behind the "Monumento a la Carta Magna y Las Cuatro Regiones Argentinas" in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. It's also the year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position to Earth. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko
People watch the supermoon rise behind the downtown Los Angeles skyline, from Kenneth Hahn Park in Los Angeles, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019. The year's first supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position to Earth, is one of two lunar events Sunday. If skies are clear, a total eclipse will also be visible in North and South America, and parts of Europe. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu
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The entire eclipse took more than three hours. Totality — when the moon’s completely bathed in Earth’s shadow — lasted an hour. During a total lunar eclipse, the eclipsed, or blood, moon turns red from sunlight scattering off Earth’s atmosphere.

In addition to the Americas, the entire lunar extravaganza could be observed, weather permitting, all the way across the Atlantic to parts of Europe.

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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