Blood Moon rising: Timelapse of the lunar eclipse
It can appear reddish, depending on the presence and abundance of dust particles in the atmosphere, prompting some to call it a “Blood Moon.”
- The moon is illuminated by sunlight reflected off the Earth during a total lunar eclipse, one of four so-called “blood moons”, on October 8, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. The first in the current tetrad of blood moons fell on Passover and the current eclipse occurs on the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, the fifth day after Yom Kippur, leading some religious people to believe that it is a prophetic sign of the end times of civilization. This blood moon appears 5.3% larger than the last one on April 15 because it occurs right after the perigee, the closest point in its orbit to the Earth. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
- Total eclipse of the moon is seen on October 08, 2014 in Qingdao, Shandong province of China. The moon turns red and half-shadowed during total lunar eclipse in Qingdao on Wednesday. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images)
- The moon appears to be to have an orange-red hue as the earth’s shadow covers the moon during a total lunar eclipse, in Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California October 8, 2014. A total lunar eclipse is sometimes called a blood moon because of the red color that is cast upon it by light refracting in Earth’s atmosphere. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)
- The moon appears to be to have an orange-red hue as the earth’s shadow covers the moon during a total lunar eclipse, in Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California October 8, 2014. A total lunar eclipse is sometimes called a blood moon because of the red color that is cast upon it by light refracting in Earth’s atmosphere. (Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)
- A lunar eclipse is seen in Tokyo on October 8, 2014. In Tokyo’s Roppongi fashion and entertainment district, enthusiasts were planning to perform yoga exercises under the blood moon. Many others had climbed atop the city’s skyscrapers to view the sky. (Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images)
- A lunar eclipse is partially seen from The Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong on October 8, 2014. The total lunar eclipse is the second of two in 2014 and the second in a tetrad (four total lunar eclipses in series). (Xuame Olleros/AFP/Getty Images)
- A lunar eclipse is partially seen from The Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong on October 8, 2014. The total lunar eclipse is the second of two in 2014 and the second in a tetrad (four total lunar eclipses in series). (Xuame Olleros/AFP/Getty Images)
- A lunar eclipse is partially seen from The Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong on October 8, 2014. The total lunar eclipse is the second of two in 2014 and the second in a tetrad (four total lunar eclipses in series). (Xuame Olleros/AFP/Getty Images)
- A lunar eclipse is partially seen from The Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong on October 8, 2014. The total lunar eclipse is the second of two in 2014 and the second in a tetrad (four total lunar eclipses in series). (Xuame Olleros/AFP/Getty Images)
- A plane flies before the moon at the beginning of a total lunar eclipse in Yokkaichi, central Japan, on October 8, 2014. In Tokyo’s Roppongi fashion and entertainment district, enthusiasts were planning to perform yoga exercises under the blood moon. Many others had climbed atop the city’s skyscrapers to view the sky. (Toru Yamanaka/AFP/Getty Images)
- The moon is pictured after a total lunar eclipse as seen from Taguig, Metro Manila October 8, 2014. The eclipse is also known as a “blood moon” due to the coppery, reddish color the moon takes as it passes into Earth’s shadow. The total eclipse is the second of four over a two-year period that began April 15 and concludes on Sept. 28, 2015. The so-called tetrad is unusual because the full eclipses are visible in all or parts of the United States, according to retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak. (Erik De Castro/Reuters)
- The moon turns orange during a total lunar eclipse as seen from Taguig, Metro Manila October 8, 2014. The eclipse is also known as a “blood moon” due to the coppery, reddish color the moon takes as it passes into Earth’s shadow. The total eclipse is the second of four over a two-year period that began April 15 and concludes on Sept. 28, 2015. The so-called tetrad is unusual because the full eclipses are visible in all or parts of the United States, according to retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak. October 1, 2014. (Erik De Castro/Reuters)
- The moon is pictured moments after a total lunar eclipse, from Encinitas, California October 8, 2014. The eclipse is also known as a “blood moon” due to the coppery, reddish color the moon takes as it passes into Earth’s shadow. The total eclipse is the second of four over a two-year period that began April 15 and concludes on Sept. 28, 2015. The so-called tetrad is unusual because the full eclipses are visible in all or parts of the United States, according to retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak. (Mike Blake/Reuters)
- The moon is pictured moments after a total lunar eclipse, from Encinitas, California October 8, 2014. The eclipse is also known as a “blood moon” due to the coppery, reddish color the moon takes as it passes into Earth’s shadow. The total eclipse is the second of four over a two-year period that began April 15 and concludes on Sept. 28, 2015. The so-called tetrad is unusual because the full eclipses are visible in all or parts of the United States, according to retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak. (Mike Blake/Reuters)
- The eclipse as seen from the top of the construction scaffolding at the Washington Monument at Mt. Vernon Place. The view is to the west, and the steeple of First & Franklin St. Presbyterian Church can be seen in the foreground. (Courtey of Tyler Tate and George Wilk II)
The second of four consecutive full lunar eclipses, a phenomenon known as a tetrad, according to NASA, occurred overnight. The last occurred in April, and the next will occur next April.
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