A "blood supermoon" is the rare combination of a total lunar eclipse and the moon being at its closest point in its orbit around Earth, making it appear much larger than usual. Photo / StardomeA "blood supermoon" is the rare combination of a total lunar eclipse and the moon being at its closest point in its orbit around Earth, making it appear much larger than usual. That's according to MetService's latest forecast for Wednesday night, when a "supermoon" will coincide with a total lunar eclipse for the first time since 1982. Blood moons - also known as total lunar eclipses - occur when the Earth lines up between the Moon and the Sun. The lunar eclipse was due to last five hours, beginning at 8.47pm on Wednesday, and ending at about 1.49am the next morning.

Source: New Zealand Herald May 24, 2021 05:05 UTC