In an interesting occurrence, lunar eclipse, blue moon and the supermoon will be seen together on January 31, an event happening after 35 years.

Here are some things you should know before gluing your eyes to the sky to watch this natural phenomenon.

What is a lunar eclipse?

This celestial show occurs when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are so aligned that for a period of time, the full Moon passes through the shadow of Earth in space, called Earth’s Umbra. 

What is a blue moon?

No, the moon does not turn blue. It turns reddish copper in color because of sunlight passing through the earth’s atmosphere which leads to breaking down of its constituent colors and scattering of the red part by the atmosphere. It is also referred to as the blood moon. 

And Supermoon is when the moon appears slightly bigger and brighter than normal. The moon will be closest to Earth, just over 223,000 miles, on Tuesday. 

These events occurring individually might not be a rare sight but all of them happening together is one.

The total lunar eclipse will be visible everywhere in India from 5:20 PM. The main eclipse (all three phenomena together) would start around 6.25 PM after sunset and go on till 7:25 PM, making it last for 1 hour and 16 minutes

The tides might be higher than usual in rivers and seas but they won’t cause any disturbance. So be ready for a once in a blue moon show because the triple line-up last formed in 1982, and will next form in 2037.

And yes, it can be seen with your naked eye.