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‘Blood Moon’ Means What? There Will Be a Total Lunar Eclipse

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1 year ago

November 6, 2022

'Blood Moon' Means What? There Will Be a Total Lunar Eclipse

(CTN News) – It is anticipated that a full “Blood Moon” will be visible over North Texas early Tuesday morning, weather permitting, according to astrophysicist Levent Gurdemir from the University of Texas at Arlington. In the past 18 months, there have been three total lunar eclipses.

In May 2025, the next event will take place. In view of the fact that this is the second total eclipse of the year, Gurdemir explained, referring to the total lunar eclipse we experienced in May.

The National Weather Service forecasts partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the mid-60s for Dallas-Fort Worth on Tuesday morning.

THE ‘BLOOD MOON’ IS CALLED A TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE FOR A REASON.

An eclipse of the moon is most notable for the blood-red color of the moon as it disappears into the shadow of the Earth. Rather than disappearing, the moon appears very dark red, according to the UTA astrophysicist.

Gurdemir explained that a thin layer of Earth’s atmosphere acts as a prism, refracting the colors of the sun’s light and diverting the red hues into the shadow giving the “Blood Moon” its distinctive appearance. In the opinion of the UTA astrophysicist, it is the same process that causes us to perceive the sky as blue.

During sunrise and sunset, when the angle of sunlight sharpens, colors of the spectrum are refracted to create a red, orange and purple sky.

HOW DOES A TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE OCCUR?

The phenomenon occurs when the sun, Earth, and moon align. This occurs with the sun and moon on opposite sides of our planet and the shadow of the sun encircling the Blood Moon, according to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Only a full moon can produce a total lunar eclipse.

WHAT IS THE BEST TIME TO VIEW THE TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE?

Beginning shortly after 4 a.m. on Tuesday, Gurdemir said the totality of the eclipse can be viewed at its finest. The moon turns red when it is in the shadow of the Earth.

There is no need for special equipment. As the Blood Moon slowly creeps into the shadows, stargazers can observe it directly, unlike when viewing a solar eclipse.