I defer to reddit for explanation of above pics.
Context
Yesterday, AmbitionOfPhilipJFry submitted this to the reddit Science community:
Tonight, in Europe, Africa and Asia there will be a blue moon eclipse on New Year’s Eve. This is a millennium-level rare event. European, African and Asian redditors, please take pictures for us in North America!
In response, ImmanKant was kind enough to correct:
A blue moon on New Year’s Eve during an eclipse happens every 91 years. It’s not even a century-level event, let alone a millennium-level one. And it’s only that because you”re looking for lunar eclipses and blue moons on a single day: expand your parameters to be “lunar eclipse on a blue moon” and it happens every twenty years or so.
A sobering NikkiA delved further:
Any lunar eclipse on new year’s eve will of course be a blue moon by definition, since it would have to be the second full moon in december to occur on the 31st (and lunar eclipses happen at full moon).
Lifetime event? For me maybe… for others? probably not…
Unless I’ve missed one, the next one will be 2066, so it’s not even every 91 years just ‘every 91 years on average… Many redditors, will likely still be alive in 56 years – I probably won’t be though.
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/2001-2100/LE2066-12-31N.gif
Of course, I was only looking for December blue moons, they can of course occur in any month that has more than 28 days… Going by just looking for a blue moon eclipse, we get:
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCLEmap/2001-2100/LE2018-01-31T.gif
Most of us will definitely live to see that one :)
As the likely next candidate – there is one in 2012 on 28th Nov which could be a blue moon eclipse, depending on where the previous eclipse occurs, on the 1st or 31st of October…
To lighten the conversation thread, faprawr made an offer he couldn’t refuse:
why won’t you be around, Are you feeling ok? can I get you a drink or something?
NikkiA:
Because I’m 38 now, and have a whole slew of medical problems already. The chances of me surviving to be 95 are pretty much zero.
Happy New Year’s Eve!