Super Blue Blood Moon Putting On Rare Cosmic Show

(CBS/AP) — The moon is putting on a rare show for us.

The second full moon in a calendar month is a blue moon. This one also happens to be an especially close and bright moon, or supermoon. Add a total eclipse, known as a blood moon for its red tint, and it's a lunar showstopper.

Hawaii and Alaska have the best seats, along with the Canadian Yukon, Australia and Asia. The western U.S. should have good viewing, too, along with Russia.

The U.S. East Coast, Europe and most of South America and Africa are out of luck for the total eclipse, but the Tri-State area can see a partial eclipse.

Credit: Samuel P. McConnell

"It's a wonderful and fun thing to go and talk about, and gives us an opportunity to talk about how the moon goes around the earth," said Jason Kendall, who teaches physics at William Paterson University.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and moon line up perfectly, casting Earth's shadow on the moon. Scientists are keen to study the sharp, sudden drop in temperature at the lunar surface, as Earth's shadow blankets the moon.

For the trivia crowd, the moon will be 223,820 miles away at the peak of the eclipse, close enough for supermoon status.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)