Cover photo: Travis Heying, Associated Press

Super moon and full lunar eclipse made for an awe-inspiring time

By SAM HARPER/Murphy News Service

Minnesotans joined people all over world Sunday night to behold the rare opportunity of seeing a combination of two phenomena: a super moon and a full lunar eclipse.

A super moon consists of a full moon when it is closest to Earth, BBC said. This exaggerates the size of the moon and gives off a reddish hue.

This combination is a very rare occurrence and isn’t expected to happen for another 20 years, but how impressive was it?

“Last night’s moon was definitely worth all the hype,”  Theresa Lindblad, a junior at the University of Minnesota, said. “I had never seen an eclipse before and it was beautiful.”

A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth and the sun line up, which slowly casts a shadow until the moon is completely obscured.

Sadie Pelini, a friend of Lindblad, shared similar thoughts regarding last night’s rare astronomical event. “I thought the moon was very cool and unlike anything I had ever seen before,” she said. “It was cool to be watching the same amazing phenomenon with everyone else in the world at the same time.”

The last time these two events occurred at the same time was in 1982, and if you missed last night’s showing, mark 2033 in your calendar.

Reporter Sam Harper is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.