'Look up': Eclipse-lovers take in the Super Blood Wolf Moon

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The moon, the earth and sun all lined up to create a total lunar eclipse Sunday night and there won’t be another one until 2021.

This rare cosmic phenomenon was scheduled to peak around 10:45 p.m. Sunday and while it was brutally cold out there, there was plenty of reason to step outside and have a look.

“It’s funny how many people haven’t even just looked up to see it,” said David Johnson, of the Minnesota Astronomical Society.

The crisp, sub-zero chill is no match for Johnson’s sharp eye, nor is it a match for his dedication to capture a special cosmic event.

“At least it’s clear skies and that’s the big deal,” Johnson said.

Johnson was the first to set up his telescope Sunday night for the Bell Museum’s Lunar Eclipse Star Party.

Moon lovers braced the conditions they were dealt Sunday. At negative seven degrees wind chill, they watched what has been dubbed a “Super Blood Wolf Moon.” The moon passed into the shadow of the earth and sun, revealing a beautiful, bright red moon.

“We get the red light of the moon during total eclipse and leading up to it because the light of the sun is passing through our atmosphere and the only light remaining after going all the way through the atmosphere and back to our eyes, the only light that remains, is red so, red moon,” said Thaddeus LaCoursiere, the Planetarium’s Educator.

Given it’s the only total eclipse of the year and the last until 2021, the party of astronomy lovers gathered Sunday night wouldn’t miss it for anything in the galaxy.

“If you’ve never seen it before, that’s the greatest joy for me,” Johnson said.

Another great thing about the lunar eclipse is that you don’t need any special eyewear like you would with a solar eclipse. All you have to do is go outside and do as Johnson said, “Look up.”