Super Moon 2018 | Celestial Event

Whether you call it a “super moon”, “blood moon” or “super blood blue moon”, Wednesday's total lunar eclipse is going to be spectacular. Earthlings haven't seen a celestial event like this in nearly 150 Years - and here Down Under, we’ve got of the one of the best seats in the world!  

Here's what you need to know for an optimum viewing experience in each state and territory.

What the hell is a blue moon?

Wednesday's blue moon isn't actually blue - so maybe refrain from loudly complaining about the colour to fellow stargazers, unless you want to look like a total berk.  Blue moons are an "extra" 13th full moon that occur every two to three years on average.

Why you should be excited about this one…

The reason people are psyched for this year's blue moon is that it happens to coincide with a total lunar eclipse. The last time this happened was all the way back in March 31, 1866.  That’s a long time ago.  Not a single living human being has ever seen one of these eclipses with the naked eye before – that’s pretty cool, eh?

Unlike last year's total solar eclipse, the super blood blue moon is best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere, with Australia, New Zealand and eastern Asia being in prime position (Most of North and South America will catch the tail end of the eclipse. Tough break guys #sorrynotsorry)

“Unlike most of the world, we will be able to see the eclipse from beginning to end,” says astrobiologist Charley Lineweaver, an Australian National University Associate Professor.” 

And yet *another* perk of this celestial show is that the earth’s shadow will not pass over any old full, blue moon, rather, it will pass over a Super Moon — it will be closer and brighter than usual."  That’s a lot of celestial ducks getting into a pretty sweet row…

In fact, you could say an event like this only comes around once in a bl-[You're fired - Ed.]

When To Watch The Super Blood Blue Moon Down Under

Wednesday's total lunar eclipse occurs at different times depending on your location within Australia (a lunar eclipse occurs at the same moment for every location on Earth, so the differences in time depend only on the local time zones).

For most Australians, the eclipse will occur a few hours after sunset, so there's no need to get up at an ungodly hour - hurrah!  With that said, some Aussies will need to stay up past 2am if they want to watch the whole thing. Western Australians get to head outside a little earlier, with the eclipse set to start at 7:48pm.

Here are the times you need to mark in your calendar for each state and territory:

So what does this all mean for us?

Sadly, the “blood” part does not mean all the women of the world sync their menstrual cycles at once. It actually means that there's a lunar eclipse and a full moon syncing up with the moment when the moon is closest to earth as it can get within orbit.  Sounds pretty boring when you put it like that, but the spiritual meaning behind the super blue blood moon is not as sinister as it sounds. In fact, the blood moon got its name from the colour it turns when it falls behind the Earth's shadow. That's it.

The spiritual meaning behind this astrological event is a lot more fun, and you can make the most of it in whatever ways you want to. The full moon has always been known as a time of ripening, a time of harvest, and when you throw in an eclipse, its meaning becomes much more mysterious. So we’re here to shine a little light on the lunar event known for staying in the shadows. Get your journals out, light a candle, say a prayer or take a breath, cause this eclipse is all about reaching for the stars moon!

Full Moon Meaning

The full moon is known by spiritualists as a time when our subconscious thoughts, longings, and fears all come to the surface at once.  It's a time when whatever’s been bubbling beneath our conscious thought patterns suddenly reveals itself through impulsive actions, changes, or impulsive decisions.  The things we do or say during a full moon can be difficult to take back, because they are based on deeper truths — truths we know are real to us, in spite of how hard they might be for those around us to accept.

Full Moon Eclipse

A full moon eclipse, like the one we have ahead of us, is like three full moons rolled into one. Think of this kind of event as a dramatic tossup in the course of your life, because when it hits, it radically alters the status quo in one way or another.

The astrological understanding of a full moon lunar eclipse, according to renowned astrologer Susan Miller is as follows:

An eclipse can bring news of a birth of a baby, an engagement or marriage, a promotion or career breakthrough, important travel, the signing of a vital business contract, or the start of one’s own business. An eclipse can bring the sale or purchase of a house, a move to a new home across the country, the acquisition (or loss) of a family pet, surgery, or an important health development. It might bring a college graduation, or the eclipse may mark the start of your course of study. Eclipses sometimes bring on a divorce, a newly published book… you get the idea.  Monumental events, meetings and partings, or changes within your career may also take place at an eclipse – they are dates we usually long remember.

The way to cope with these changes is to acknowledge the news that they bring as a necessary stepping-stone into the next phase of your life. You might find that the changes an eclipse brings can be challenging or more difficult than you might have expected, but these challenges force you to leap forward into your fears, and to accept all that life has to offer you on the other side of them.

Full Moon Lunar Eclipse

A full moon lunar eclipse especially, like the upcoming one on Jan. 31, 2018, is believed to show you a person's true character. This can be difficult, as it's always a toss-up as to whether or not you're going to like what you see. That said, with the super blue blood moon lunar eclipse in the prideful sign of expressive Leo, you could very likely have a light shining on your own true colours, and that will surely have a positive effect, because this awareness can only lead to growth.  Raawwrrr.