As far as lunar events go, a single phenomenon usually draws crowds to gaze upwards at a specific time. But on January 31, the world was captivated by a rare lunar "trifecta" – where three phenomena occurred all at once.
The "super blue blood moon" was visible over several continents, comprising a total lunar eclipse, a super moon and a blue moon.
In some regions of the world, it was the first such event in 150 years – but not in the Middle East.
The last time this part of the world saw a super blue blood moon was on December 30, 1982.
Regardless, it's a rare event. Once in a (super) blue (blood) moon, some might say.
What is a super blue blood moon?
A super moon is a full moon that appears larger than usual, because the moon is at its closest distance to Earth. Of the dozen or so new moons that occur each year, two or three will become super moons.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly behind the Earth – into its shadow – and can only happen when the sun, Earth and moon are perfectly aligned, with the Earth in the middle. The last partial eclipse in the Emirates was in August.
This is not to be confused with a solar eclipse, which is when the moon is in the middle, blocking the sun.
As the moon takes its place in the Earth's shadow, it will take on a reddish hue – which is where the blood moon comes in.
A blue moon, although the subject of a popular idiom you've likely heard from your mother on the rarity of an event, is arguably the most common occurrence. Its two definitions are used almost interchangeably – as the third full moon in a season that has four full moons, or the second full moon in a calendar month – and it has absolutely no correlation to the actual colour of the moon.
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Read more:
Super blue blood moon in the UAE - in pictures
PODCAST: UAE in a minute for January 31, 2018
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Boulder shooting victims
• Denny Strong, 20
• Neven Stanisic, 23
• Rikki Olds, 25
• Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
• Suzanne Fountain, 59
• Teri Leiker, 51
• Eric Talley, 51
• Kevin Mahoney, 61
• Lynn Murray, 62
• Jody Waters, 65
ROUTE TO TITLE
Round 1: Beat Leolia Jeanjean 6-1, 6-2
Round 2: Beat Naomi Osaka 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
Round 3: Beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2
Round 4: Beat Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
Quarter-final: Beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2
Semi-final: Beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4
Final: Beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Console: PlayStation 2 to 5
Rating: 5/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
Engine: Single front-axle electric motor
Power: 218hp
Torque: 330Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 402km (claimed)
Price: From Dh215,000 (estimate)
On sale: September
Company profile
Name: Homie Portal LLC
Started: End of 2021
Founder: Abdulla Al Kamda
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Current number of staff: 14
Investment stage: Launch
Investors: Self-funded
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kinetic 7
Started: 2018
Founder: Rick Parish
Based: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Industry: Clean cooking
Funding: $10 million
Investors: Self-funded
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: SupplyVan
Based: Dubai, UAE
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 29
Sector: MRO and e-commerce
Funding: Seed
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.