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28 March 2024

Blood Moon: Sky watchers awestruck by rare red lunar eclipse

Published
By AFP

Leaves on a tree are silhouetted against the moon during a total lunar eclipse Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014  in Geneva, Ill. The red hue results from sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere, in what is known as a "blood moon." (AP, MAGS OUT)

Stargazers in the Americas and Asia were treated to a lunar eclipse on Wednesday, a celestial show that bathed the moon in a reddish tint to create a "blood moon".

During the total lunar eclipse, light beams into Earth's shadow, filling it with a coppery glow that gives it a red hue.

A combination photo shows the moon above Geneva, Ill during a lunar eclipse on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. The red hue results from sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere, in what is known as a "blood moon." (AP, MAGS OUT)


The early phase of the eclipse began at 0800 GMT, or 4:00 am, on the east coast of the United States.

NASA provided live footage via telescope of the eclipse, showing a black shadow creeping across the moon in a crawl that took about an hour.

Only when the moon was totally eclipsed did the redness appear. The total eclipse was also to last about an hour, and ditto for the return to its normal colour. The total eclipse happened at 6:25 am on the US east coast (1025 GMT).

A red moon appears above the Moscow river in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. The moon appears orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. This is known as the blood moon. (AP)


The NASA web site was peppered with Tweets bubbling with questions and comments on the heavenly phenomenon.

"This is amazing. Thank you for this opportunity," read a Tweet from the handle @The Gravity Dive.

"Is there any crime increase during this process? Any psychological problems?" wrote a person who identified herself as Alisa Young.


A passenger airliner crosses the full moon in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. The moon appears orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. This is known as the blood moon. (AP)



Just before the climax, Kathi Hennesey in California wrote, "Watching from San Francisco Bay Area. Just a sliver now."

Ring of fire

A NASA commentator explained that during the total eclipse, if you were standing on the moon and looking at the earth, you would see it all black, with ring of fire around it.
 


The Earth's shadow is cast over the moon during a total lunar eclipse, as seen from beneath the Sunsphere in Knoxville, Tenn. Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. The red hue results from sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere, in what is known as a "blood moon." (AP)


In Hong Kong, free viewing locations were set up on a harbourside promenade by the Hong Kong Space Museum for the public to observe the various phases on telescopes.

In Tokyo's Roppongi fashion and entertainment district, enthusiasts performed yoga exercises under the blood moon. Many others had climbed atop the city's skyscrapers to view the sky.


A lunar eclipse appears over the old red Dallas County Courthouse early Wednesday morning, Oct. 8, 2014.  The moon appears orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. This is known as the blood moon. (AP, MAGS OUT)

 

On Australia's east coast, a live video feed set up by the Sydney Observatory was hit by cloud cover, thwarting some viewers.

In New Zealand, the moon will be close to its highest point in the sky, according to Auckland's Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, making for a view of the spectacle unobstructed by buildings.


A lunar eclipse appears above Grand Haven State Park Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014 in Grand Rapids, Mich. The moon appears orange or red as it reflects the suns color in the Earth's atmosphere. This is known as the blood moon. (AP)

The event was not visible in Africa or Europe, NASA said.

The eclipse is the second of four total lunar eclipses, which started with a first "blood moon" on April 15, in a series astronomers call a tetrad.


A lunar eclipse appears behind a gargoyle atop the old red Dallas County Courthouse early Wednesday morning, Oct. 8, 2014.  The moon appears orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. This is known as the blood moon. (AP, MAGS OUT)


The next two total lunar eclipses will be on April 4 and September 28 of next year. 

The last time a tetrad took place was in 2003-2004, with the next predicted for 2032-2033. In total, the 21st century will see eight tetrads.