Please note: Actual eclipse visibility depends on weather conditions and line of sight to the moon. Western hemisphere star gazers rejoice because this Wednesday, October 8th, North America, South America and the Hawaiian region will have front row seats to a total lunar eclipse. According to NASA this particular lunar eclipse will appear 5.3% larger than the recent lunar eclipse that took place this year in April.
The lunar eclipse is scheduled to start at approximately 6:30 a.m. and go on for an hour.
This particular eclipse is the second of a series of four lunar eclipses in a row referred to as “tetrad.” The frequency of tetrads was first pointed out by Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli who noticed that the frequency of tetrads is variable over time and that tetrads are relatively plentiful during one 300-year interval, while none occur during the next 300 years. For example, “There are no tetrads from 1582 to 1908, but 17 tetrads occur during the following 2 and 1/2 centuries from 1909 to 2156.”
The devilish name itself, ‘Blood Moon', is adopted from the reddish color tint they take on when sunrises and sunsets seen from the Earth reflect onto the surface of the moon.
When it comes to star gazing and viewing these lunar eclipses it’s best to try and go to an area with as little light pollution as possible so you can get the best, clearest view. Also if the weather is cloudy and foggy with limited visibility seeing the lunar eclipse will be more impeded and difficult.
This upcoming lunar eclipse is one star studded spectacular you really don’t want to miss out on.
Photo by Angel Ruiz via Free Images