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Full Moons To Appear In Northern California Skies
Moon pix
The first full moon of the New Year rose in the night sky on Jan. 1, lighting up a relatively cloudless night. Sky watchers will have a unique opportunity to view a second full moon, also known as a Blue Moon at the end of this month. This photo was taken with a Canon DSLR, 200 mm lens, f 3.5, 1/10th of a second at 60 second intervals to produce the moons effect. Ric McGinnis/The News

Residents of the North Valley had an opportunity on the evening of the first day of the year to witness the first of two full moons this month as it rose in a relatively cloudless sky.

It was seen rising from the east on Monday evening, Jan. 1, 2018.

It was also a “Supermoon,” the largest view of the year because of the nearest approach of the moon to the earth during 2018.

Astronomers, both hobby and professional, will receive another special treat as a “Blue Moon,” the second full moon in a month, coincides with a full lunar eclipse, also viewable here in Northern California on Wednesday, Jan. 31.

The bad news? At our latitude, the eclipse begins before 4 a.m. and becomes full around 5:30 a.m. And the moon will set just before the eclipse is over.

And this eclipse will be the last one here until January, 2019.