Is it normal that super blue blood moon is much smaller than before the eclipse? If so, why? I'm quite positive it's not cloudy here. On my TV, they broadcast a live super blue blood moon from the 4th floor, and it looks big and red. You think they use a telescope?
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2 Answers
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Yes, they probably use a telescope if it's much bigger.
The 'super' refers to the fact that the moon is closer to the earth than normal during a full moon (it's near to the perigee in its orbit), but the human eye cannot see the difference between the moon size an hour before and an hour after the perigee.
Also, there's a phenomenon called moon illusion which makes the moon appear larger near the horizon, which might or might not be the case in your situation.
Incidentally, the fact that it's a blue moon has nothing to with it; that's just the moment it takes place on the calendar.
answered Jan 31, 2018 at 14:48
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$\begingroup$ But during the eclipse, it's not possible that the moon appear smaller, right? $\endgroup$ Commented Jan 31, 2018 at 15:15
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$\begingroup$ No, the distance to the Earth stays the same. The reduced brightness might have an effect, but to my eye, brighter objects look smaller, not larger. $\endgroup$ Commented Jan 31, 2018 at 15:25
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1$\begingroup$ @Gauti see astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/2166/7472 $\endgroup$ Commented Feb 1, 2018 at 6:54
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To complement what Glorfindel said, the term "super Moon" is quite hyperbolic, since the apparent diameter of a super Moon is only about 6.5% larger than that of a regular full Moon, so you would barely notice the difference anyway!
About the super Moon you saw on TV, they might just have used a telephoto lens, as explained in this thread: Large Moon photos using telephoto lens compression
