Friday night will be a special one for stargazers with a snow moon, a lunar eclipse and a comet.
The sky will offer something for everyone, beginning with the February full moon that many call the snow moon due to the time of year in which it is coming up. However, the moon will be remembered even more tonight due to the lunar eclipse that is happening.
North, Central and South America will have the best views of the eclipse, which will begin at 5:34 p.m. if you’re on Eastern Time. It will last until 9:53 p.m., and it is especially important for certain tribes as they use the eclipse to keep track of the seasons.
Finally, there is the Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková, which is also know as the New Year comet. The comet will make its closest approach to Earth since 2011 as it will be about 11 million miles from Earth Saturday morning.
You can see it using binoculars as it passes through the constellation Hercules. The comet will pass through Corona Borealis, Bootes, Canes Venatici and Ursa Major, several constellations that you can see in the night sky in most clear nights.
The comet was first discovered by astronomers Minoru Honda, Antonin Mrkos and L’udmila Pajdušáková on Dec. 3, 1948.
Which one are you most excited about on this clear and cold night, the snow moon, the lunar eclipse or the comet?
