in

Blood Moon Wows Astronomers

 

Rare Lunar Eclipse Cast Red Cast Over MoonOn April 15, people all around North America pointed their cameras, cell phones, and telescopes toward the skies in order to witness a phenomenon know as a total lunar eclipse.

That night, however, as the moon passed through the Earth’s shadow, it took on strong red and orange hues, and it quickly became known as a ‘blood moon.’

The remarkable coloring of Tuesday’s lunar eclipse was caused by a quantity of light from each of the sunsets and sunrises happening at the time refracting off it to the moon’s surface.

MC students were among those gazing toward the skies that night, and many had to rouse themselves from sleep just to witness the predawn spectacle.

On Wednesday,  students shared their stories about watching the blood moon, as well as photographs they had taken.

If you missed the chance to experience this eclipse, don’t worry. Tuesday’s blood moon was only one out of four consecutive total lunar eclipses.

This occurrence is known as a tetrad, and the next three blood moons will be taking place between April of this year and September of the next, all of which will be visible in every part of the US, weather permitting.

So if you check the night skies on October 8, you’ll have another chance to witness the next blood moon crossing the sky.

Written by Amanda Leslie

Amanda is a senior and the opinions editor for the MCSun. (Obviously the best section.) Her hobbies are sleeping and listening to music. She likes to pretend that she could be an FBI agent when she grows up.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *