On Sunday night, an ominous red moon will be visible in much of the world thanks to the rare total lunar eclipse.
Starting at 22.27 ET on Sunday, the Earth will sit between the moon and the sun and the moon will begin to pass into the earth’s shadow for a partial eclipse. By 11:29 pm, the ET Moon will move into the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow, called the Timbre, and a total eclipse will begin, lasting just over an hour.
Light travels in waves, and light of different colors has different wavelengths. Higher frequency blue and violet light has a shorter wavelength and is easier to scatter than particles in the atmosphere. Meanwhile, the lower frequency can more easily pass through the atmosphere without worry.
During an eclipse, the only sunlight reaching the moon will be at the red end of the spectrum, giving the so-called “Blood Moon” its distinctive hue.
“The more dust or clouds there are in the Earth’s atmosphere during an eclipse, the redder the moon will look,” according to NASA. “It’s as if all the sunrises and sunsets in the world are projected onto the moon.”
The red moon should be visible to the naked eye in most of North America, South America, Africa and Europe. Although those living near bright lights and tall buildings will have a harder time seeing.
The moon will look red because of something called Rayleigh’s distraction, the same process that makes the sky blue and sunsets red.
“The great thing about lunar eclipses is that you don’t need any equipment other than passion and interest to be outside and have a clear horizon,” said Noah Petro, head of NASA’s Planetary Geology, Geophysics and Geochemistry Laboratory. CNN.
Those without a clear view can always stream the action on NASA’s YouTube channel.
Astronomers must act quickly if they want to see the red moon.
The next total lunar eclipse will occur on November 8, and then we will have to wait until March 2025 to see it again.
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