Spectacular lunar eclipse on weekend of Jan. 20-21
The next lunar eclipse is coming between Jan. 20 and 21 and, weather permitting, it will be something to see.
Paul Cirillo, a board member with the New Jersey Astronomical Association, says the so-called "Super Blood Wolf Moon" will be full and bright.
"But once it gets covered, it will be much easier to see," he said.
NASA says the eclipse will be one of the sky's most dazzling shows in part because the moon will be at its closest point to the Earth, which will make it seem even larger than it normally is.
Cirillo says you will be seeing is the Earth's shadow pass in front of the moon. And as with any sky-gazing, try to view it away from bright lights.
"You do not need anything. You could take a pair of binoculars with you to see the things on the lunar surface. But just hope for a clear sky and just look up.
He has some other tips for eclipse gazing:
Shield the glare of the full moon with your hand and look just below (south) and a little to the right (west) and look for the Orion constellation. Easy to spot because it contains three bright stars in a line (Orion's belt).
Draw an imaginary line connecting them and then extend it to the right (west) and just past a bright orange star (Aldebaran), you will see a fuzzy patch. Look at it with any type of binoculars and you will see an amazing sight: A group of seven to nine bright stars. This is the Pleiades Open Star Cluster — also known as The Seven Sisters — which actually contains about a thousand stars.
Lunar eclipses occur twice annually, but once every 200 years or so, the earth witnesses three in a single year.