There is some serious anticipation for tonight’s super blue blood moon and luna eclipse.

A ‘super blue blood moon’ sounds pretty cool, and it is, and to break it down – the ‘super’ bit means the moon is closer to Earth than usual, ‘blue’ means it’s the second full moon of the month, and the ‘blood’ part is down to the moon’s reddish hue.

But there’s one extra thing, it’s making people moody.

View image on Twitter

Previous research has suggested the lunar cycle can have a huge effect on how much sleep you get at night.

And, according to Science Direct, full moons have been linked to a lack of deep sleep. – which means…. grumps.

Women, fluctuating hormones could be to blame too.

According to Migraine.com, and many old tales, women’s periods can often sync with the full moon and its ‘significant gravitational pull’.

So lack of sleep, plus hormones… You do the math.

Oh and not forgetting this happy list of awful things that happen during a full moon, as Migraine.com writes:

The full moon has an impact on serotonin levels, a chemical in our bodies that regulates mood, among other things.

Its imbalance could be the cause for the wide ranging reports from emergency rooms during full moons regarding the increase of incidences involving migraines, alcoholism, epilepsy, menstrual cycles, car accidents, anxiety, depression, sexual activity, homicides, insomnia and diarrhoea.

Great.

Gordon Johnston, program executive and lunar blogger at NASA Headquarters in Washington said:

If you live in the western part of North America, Alaska, and the Hawaiian islands, you might set your alarm early the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 31 for a lunar trifecta: a pre-dawn super blue blood moon.

For the (continental) U.S., the viewing will be best in the West. Set your alarm early and go out and take a look.

If you live in North America, Alaska, or Hawaii, the eclipse will be visible before sunrise on January 31. For those in the Middle East, Asia, eastern Russia, Australia and New Zealand, the super blue blood moon can be seen during moonrise this evening of the 31st.

Johnston added:

Weather permitting, the West Coast, Alaska and Hawaii will have a spectacular view of totality from start to finish.

Unfortunately, eclipse viewing will be more challenging in the Eastern time zone. The eclipse begins at 5:51 AM ET, as the Moon is about to set in the western sky, and the sky is getting lighter in the east.

So essentially, what we’ve learnt here – feeling ratty? Now you know why.