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What is Blood Moon


In astronomy, the term blood moon refers to a complete lunar eclipse which causes the moon to appear red. The moon looks red due to dispersed light from Earth's sunrises and sunsets that is refracted back onto the moon's surface.
11 Facts About the September 27/ 28, 2015 Blood Moon Eclipse

On September 28, 2015, a rare Total Lunar Eclipse of a Super Full Moon will be visible from most of North America, South America, Europe, West Asia and parts of Africa. Here are 11 facts you should know about this eclipse.

1. A Rare Eclipse of a Supermoon
The full Moon of September 27/28 is a Supermoon – the Moon will be closest to the Earth. or at its perigee, as it turns into a full Moon. A rising Super Full Moon can look larger and brighter to spectators on Earth.

Total eclipses of Super Full Moons are rare. According to NASA, they have only occurred 5 times in the 1900s – in 1910, 1928, 1946, 1964 and 1982. After the September 27/ 28, 2015 Total Lunar Eclipse, a Supermoon eclipse will not happen again for another 18 years, until October 8, 2033.

2. People in the US Will Get Front Row Seats
People in eastern and central areas of the United States and Canada will have some of the best views of the Total Lunar Eclipse on the night of September 27, 2015, weather permitting. Here, the eclipse will begin after moonrise and finish around midnight (00:00 on September 28).

Those on the West Coast will miss the beginning stages of the eclipse because they will happen before moonrise.

It will be the last Total Lunar Eclipse visible from mainland USA until January 31, 2018.

Moonrise and Moonset in Your City
3. Late Night & Early Morning Eclipse
While North and South Americans will be able to see the eclipse after sunset on September 27, 2015, people in Africa, Europe and Middle East can view it during the early hours of September 28, before the Sun rises.

Sunrise and Sunset in Your City
4. No Need for Eye Protection

A partial solar eclipse looks like the Moon has taken a bite of the Sun.
©bigstockphoto.com/underworld1
Lunar eclipses can be spectacular and they are easy to see with the naked eye. Unlike solar eclipses, which require protective eye wear, a lunar eclipse can be viewed without specialized eye wear.

Tips: Moon Photography
5. A Solar Eclipse Takes Place Two Weeks Before
Solar and lunar eclipses come in pairs – a lunar eclipse always takes place two weeks before or after a solar eclipse. The September 27/ 28, 2015 Total Lunar Eclipse will be preceded by a Partial Solar Eclipse on September 13, 2015.

6. It's Part of a Lunar Tetrad
The September 28, 2015 Total Lunar Eclipse is the fourth and final eclipse in a series of four total lunar eclipses called the lunar tetrad. The first three eclipses of the tetrad took place on April 15, 2014, October 8, 2014 and on April 4, 2015.

Notice something interesting about the dates? Each of the eclipses in the tetrad occurs about 6 months apart and have 5 full Moons between them!

Moon Phases in your City
Lunar tetrads can be rare in some centuries and can occur frequently in others. The 21st century will have 8 lunar tetrads, the maximum number of lunar tetrads that can occur in a century. The last time this happened was in the 9th century!

The next lunar tetrad of the 21st century will start with the April 25, 2032 Total Lunar Eclipse.

7. ...And is Being Called a Blood Moon

Rayleigh scattering can cause the Moon to look red during a lunar eclipse.
©bigstockphoto.com/Medardus
In recent years, the term Blood Moon has been frequently used to refer to total lunar eclipses. Some sources suggest that the term stems from the Bible. Christian pastors Mark Blitz and John Hagee claim that the eclipses of the 2014-2015 lunar tetrad fulfill a Biblical prophecy of forthcoming difficult and trying times.

Astronomers do not use Blood Moon as a scientific term. However, it is possible that the term came to describe total lunar eclipses because of the reddish color the eclipsed Moon takes on during totality. This happens because of Rayleigh scattering, the same mechanism that causes colorful sunrises and sunsets.

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