Watch rare ‘super blue moon’ on Jan 31

On the last day of January 2018, we are going to witness three celestial events which will affect the appearance of the full moon. This event has been described as a super blue blood moon eclipse. Call it whatever you wish - a red moon, a blue moon, or a supermoon (a name coined by astrologer Richard Nolle) - this event hasn’t been seen in more than 150 years, according to astronomers. It was last seen in 1866 and the next one will be in December 2028. So what exactly is going to happen?

First, the January 31 supermoon (when the moon reaches its closest point to Earth in orbit) will feature a total lunar eclipse which will cause the moon to appear red, hence the term ‘blood moon.’ It will be visible all the way from western North America up through the Pacific and eastern Asia. It will be visible between 6:27 pm and 9:38 pm in Goa.

The orbit of the moon around the Earth is tilted, so it usually falls above or below the shadow of our planet. According to NASA scientists, almost twice a year, a full moon tends to be perfectly aligned with the Earth and the sun causing the shadow of the Earth to blocks the sun’s light, which would normally be reflected in the moon. This means the moon will lose its brightness and acquire a mysterious glow, mostly caused due to the scarce sunlight that crosses the Earth’s atmosphere on 31st January. But that’s not all. The supermoon of 31st January will also be the second full moon of the month; the first one appeared on New Year’s day night. 

Blue moons happen every two and a half years, on average. With the total eclipse, it will be a ‘super blue blood’ moon. 

How does the moon cycle effects human sleep? Anecdotal evidence has long suggested that human sleep patterns, menstrual cycle, moods, and even aggression are linked to moon cycles. A research paper published in Current Biology in 2013 showed that there exists a correlation between the human sleep cycle and lunar phases. Researchers from the Psychiatric University Hospital in Switzerland studied 33 volunteers in a laboratory environment while they slept. The group was split evenly among men and women and included both young adults between 20 and 31 years old and individuals in the 57-74 age groups. The same types of sleep patterns were witnessed in both groups, although some impacts were more pronounced in the young because older adults typically sleep less deeply than their younger counterparts. They found a striking association between poor sleep and lunar cycles. In the few days before and after a full moon, people took an average of 5 extra minutes to fall asleep, slept 20 minutes less per night, and had 30 per cent less deep sleep, as measured by the electroencephalograms. Moreover, the people recorded poorer sleep on a survey around the full moon. These changes were associated with a decrease in subjective sleep quality and diminished endogenous melatonin levels (the hormone that induces sleep).  The researchers point out that the moon’s effects may vary across the population.  

What will be the effect of supermoon on tides? Since the Moon will be closer to the Earth, its gravitation influence will promote highest high tide (king tide) and lowest low tide during this celestial event. Depending on the orientation of the coastline to the wind direction, a surge in the high tide level could raise the sea level by a few inches at the coast. For example, if the wind near the west India coast blows northward, the sea water will be transported towards the shore due to Coriolis force acting to the right of the wind flow, leading to a pile up of water at the coast.  According to the tidal charts, the high tide will be 2.07 meters at 10:04 am and 2.42 meters at 11:36 pm, at Marmugoa. So, people engaged in beach shack business, water sports and other beach activities should be alert to the possible flooding induced by the high tide.