NEWS
Lunar trifecta coming early morning on Jan. 31
Skywatchers will see something of a “lunar trifecta” the morning of Jan 31, a pre-dawn “Super Blue Blood Moon.”
As January closes the moon will do something it hasn’t since 1866. These lunar events are not uncommon separately, but it is rare for all three to occur at the same time. It should be a rare treat to observe, but it starts early.
The Jan. 31 full moon is special for three reasons: It’s the third in a series of “supermoons,” when the moon is closer to earth in its orbit and about 14 percent brighter than usual.
It’s also the second full moon of the month, commonly known as a “blue moon.” The super blue moon will pass through Earth’s shadow to give viewers in the right location a total lunar eclipse. While the Moon is in the Earth’s shadow it will take on a reddish tint, known as a “blood moon.”
Beginning at 5:30 a.m. EST on Jan. 31, a live feed of the moon will be offered on NASA TV and NASA.gov/live. You can also follow at @NASAMoon.
Time frame for north Texas
Partial eclipse starts about 4:51 a.m.
Total eclipse starts 6:51
Moon sets on the horizon at 7:23 a.m.
A blue moon occurs about every two and a half years. While the moon does not actually appear blue, “Blue Moon” is another term for the second full moon in a single calendar month. January’s first full moon was on Jan. 1. The last blue moon was in July 2015 and the next will be on March 31.
According to the National Aeronautica and Space Administration, the exact moment of the full moon is 8:37 a.m. on Jan. 31, but the moon will appear very full one or two days before and after.
The lunar eclipse will be visible early in the morning of Jan. 31 from western North America. In the central and eastern U.S. only a partial eclipse will be visible since the moon will set before totality.
The eclipse will last almost three and a half hours from the beginning of the partial phase at 3:48 a.m. pacific time and ends at 7:12 p.m. pacific time. Totality according NASA last about 77 minutes from 4:51 a.m. to 6:08 a.m. pacific time.
Blood moon refers to a lunar eclipse where the moon will glow a spectacular red for many viewers. NASA officials explain the sun, earth and moon will line up in such a way that our planet cuts off the moon’s sunlight supply. It will drift into the earth’s shadow and begin to glow a warm, orange-red as light passes through the earth’s atmosphere.
A supermoon glows brighter than the average moon and occurs when the moon is closer to the earth in its orbit. When the moon’s closest approach coincides with a full moon, it can look bigger and brighter, generally about 30 percent. Jan. 31 will be the last chance to see a supermoon this year. It is suggested to look to the skies just after sunset because the lower the moon sits in the ski, the larger it appears, called “moon illusion.”
As the final days for early voting were ticking away Montague County Elections Administrator Ginger Wall said there had been a strong turnout with 12% of registered voters casting ballots for the May 4 Bowie and Forestburg Independent School District Bond elections.
The final day for early voting ended at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Going into the final day there were a total of 1,088 early voters for the bond elections.
On election day May 4 polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at three locations: Bowie Senior Citizens Center, Forestburg ISD Library and Sunset City Hall. Voters can cast ballots at any of the three locations and remember your photo identification.
Bowie ISD is asking voters to reconsider a $65.8 million bond issue, they defeated last November 1,079 to 855. Board members indicated they felt all the needs were still there and they needed to get more information out to the voters.
In the plans there would be a new intermediate school built, and the present intermediate would be renovated to accommodate junior high students that would be moved from their present building.
A weight room would be added at the high school, which did not include one when it was built and a restroom at the baseball/softball fields. Parking would be expanded at the front of the elementary school and a new bus route flow established around the building to alleviate traffic issues.
Forestburg ISD is asking voters to consider a pair of propositions. Proposition A is $4.1 million and centers on a new classroom addition to the high school adding rooms and restrooms, storm shelter and a new roof.
Proposition B at $2.1 million would be for a new eight-lane track, bleacher system and press box with full handicap accessibility and new field with 24/7 public access.
A Saturday night incident involving a sheriff’s deputy trying to detain a female suspect resisting arrest and attempting to take his weapon lead to minor injuries for both.
Shortly after 8 p.m. April 27, Deputy Chandon Heugatter, after responding to a complaint by Kim Hill, served her neighbor Amanda May Hill with a criminal trespass warning for her to stay off their property.
Kim Hill lives at 125 Michigan, while Amanda Hill lives at 307 Front Street, both are neighbors in the Sunset area. Chief Deputy Jack Lawson said the original complaint was Amanda Hill was breaking into their storage sheds and “trashing the property.”
It lead to a confrontation between Amanda Hill as the officer tried to talk with her and then arrest her as she ran back to her house and would not follow his commands to stop.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
Spring thunderstorms and tornadic activity during the weekend caused significant damage in nearby southern Oklahoma cities of Marietta and Sulphur, and while flood warnings were issued for Montague County there were no reports of significant damage in the area.
Flood watch and warnings for the northern part of the county went up Saturday night, but there were no warnings issued for the City of Bowie. Kirk Higgins, emergency management coordinator, said there were no hyperlink warnings set out Saturday and he is unaware of any storm-related damage.
There also were reports of text messages being sent out that only stated “Shelter in place,” with no explanation or attribution. Higgins said he is unaware of any such warnings and the possibly bogus messages if real would have included some explanation.
With the official kickoff of summer a little more than a month away at the end of May, local lakes will go into the summer season strong.
Lake Amon G. Carter reached 100% at 920.51 mean sea level as of April 29. Just one month ago it was at 85.65% full at 918.03 msl, and it remained stable just dropping to 84% six months ago. One year ago it was just shy of full at 97.8% or 919.71 msl.
Read the full story on the local lakes in the mid-week Bowie News.
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