By Geoff Smith (@GeoffSmithLNN on Twitter)

Good moon watching Wednesday, if clouds don’t get in the way

Jan 29, 2018 | 6:10 AM

LETHBRIDGE – We have a chance to see a relatively rare astronomical phenomenon – but only if the clouds have a last-minute change of heart.

Wednesday morning, Jan. 31, will see a “Super Blue Blood Moon” shine on North America. It combines a “supermoon,” when the moon is at its closest point to Earth; a “blue moon” which refers to the second full moon in a calendar month; and a “blood moon,” the result of a total lunar eclipse.

“Because of our atmosphere, not all of the sunlight is blocked,” explained Locke Spencer, Canada research chair in experimental astrophysics at the University of Lethbridge. “The direct sunlight is blocked, but there’s this indirect sunlight that refracts or bends through the atmosphere. And that’s preferentially red, just like our sunrise our sunset.”

Unlike last summer’s solar eclipse, the total lunar eclipse requires no special glasses to see, and will last much longer – nearly an hour and 20 minutes.

“That’s of course because the Earth is bigger than the moon, so it takes longer to travel through that shadow, than on a solar eclipse when the moon passes in front of the sun,” Spencer added. That longer window does give the clouds a chance to break up, allowing for a better view, he added.

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In Lethbridge the total eclipse begins at 5:51 a.m., reaches its maximum effect at 6:29, and ends at 7:07. Environment Canada’s forecast says it will be cloudy Tuesday night, with clouds and flurries Wednesday.

Regardless of the possibility of the weather spoiling the fun, Spencer will be up to try to see it.

“I’m excited to get up. One of my daughters has handbells at 7:30 in the morning, so will be up a bit early anyway. So, we’ll make sure to poke our heads out to take a look.”