Posted on 09/27/2015 6:24:09 AM PDT by COBOL2Java
During a lunar eclipse, you’ll see the Earth’s shadow creeping across the moon’s face. The shadow will appear dark, like a bite taken out of a cookie, until the shadow completely covers the moon. Then, during the breathtaking time of totality, the shadow on the moon’s face often suddenly changes. Instead of dark, it appears red. Why?
The reason stems from the air we breathe. During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth lies directly between the sun and the moon, causing the Earth to cast its shadow on the moon. If Earth didn’t have an atmosphere, then, when the moon was entirely within Earth’s shadow, the moon would would appear black, perhaps even invisible.
Thanks to Earth’s atmosphere, what actually happens is much more subtle and beautiful.
Earth’s atmosphere extends about 50 miles (80 kilometers) above Earth’s surface. During a total lunar eclipse, when the moon is submerged in Earth’s shadow, there is circular ring around Earth – the ring of our atmosphere – through which the sun’s rays pass.
Sunlight is composed of a range of frequencies. As sunlight passes through our atmosphere, the green to violet portion of the light spectrum is, essentially, filtered out. This same effect, by the way, is what makes our sky blue during the day. Meanwhile, the reddish portion of the spectrum is least affected.
What’s more, when this reddish light first entered the atmosphere, it was bent (refracted) toward the Earth’s surface. It’s bent again when it exits on the other side of Earth. This double bending sends the reddish light onto the moon during a total lunar eclipse.
The image at left is a photo montage. It combines the famous Blue Marble image taken by the Apollo 17 astronauts with an image of a solar eclipse. The composite simulates the reason a lunar eclipse looks red – because, during a lunar eclipse seen from Earth, a person on the moon would see a solar eclipse, with sunlight streaming around Earth, through our atmosphere. At right, a fully eclipsed moon takes on the reddish color of sunlight filtered and refracted through Earth’s atmosphere. Image at right via Jim Fakatselis. Composite image via AstroBob
Depending on the conditions of our atmosphere at the time of the eclipse (dust, humidity, temperature and so on can all make a difference), the surviving light will illuminate the moon with a color that ranges from copper-colored to deep red.
In December 1992, not long after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, there was so much dust in Earth’s atmosphere that the totally eclipsed moon could barely be seen.
Can anyone know in advance how red the moon will appear during a total lunar eclipse? Not precisely. Before an eclipse takes place, you’ll often hear people speculating about it. That uncertainty is part of the fun of eclipses, so enjoy! And watch for the red moon during a lunar eclipse.
A lunar eclipse takes place when the sun, Earth and moon line up in space. The moon passes through Earth’s shadow. (Wikimedia Commons)
Bottom line: A moon may look red during a total lunar eclipse because of sunlight that is filtered and refracted by Earth’s atmosphere.
God’s little joke on Mormons.
Wow man isn’t John Hagee amazing. He discovered all this.
OK, I don’t get the joke.
All those incandescent lights that does it. The moon would be blue if CFG’s were lit.
More about how lunar eclipses work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8vFYubZIY4
Watch it live at these links.
http://www.ccssc.org/webcast.html
http://live.slooh.com/
It will be a Super Moon! This particular Super Moon orbit puts the Moon closest to the Earth for the whole year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermoon
It’s also the Harvest Moon.
http://www.almanac.com/content/shine-harvest-moon
Lunar Eclipse/Blood Moon times from Jerusalem.
http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/israel/jerusalem
Lunar Eclipse/Blood Moon times from the West Coast.
http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/san-francisco
Lunar Eclipse/Blood Moon times from the East Coast.
http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/norfolk
Sadly, despite having read that, millenials and many others still won’t comprehend why the moon is red under those conditions...
Light bends, baby.
http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2015-september-28
September 27 / September 28, 2015 — Total Lunar Eclipse
Plug in your location for eclipse times.
Yep, they’ll blame pollution in the atmosphere for its red appearance.
from dust in our atmosphere?
You mean the Red Moon is from GLOBAL WARMING?!?!?!?
I expect a Red Moon to emit heat. global warming and all.
Snow time ain’t no time to stay outdoors and spoon,
So shine on, shine on harvest moon, for me and my gal.
The night was mighty dark so you could hardly see,
For the moon refused to shine.
Couple sitting underneath a willow tree,
For love they did pine.
Little maid was kind-a ‘fraid of darkness, so
She said, “I guess I’ll go.”
Boy began to sigh, looked up at the sky,
And told the moon his little tale of woe.
Oh, Shine on, shine on harvest moon, up in the sky;
I ain’t had no lovin’ since April, January, June or July.
Snow time ain’t no time to stay outdoors and spoon,
So shine on, shine on harvest moon, for me and my gal.
Oh, Shine on, shine on harvest moon, way up in the sky;
I ain’t had no lovin’ since April, January, June or July.
Snow time ain’t no time to stay outdoors and spoon,
So shine on, shine on harvest moon, for me and my gal.
Ruth Etting - Shine on Harvest Moon (1931)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7Mu9fh23dY
How come we're still talking about it?
Beautiful voice! And very pretty.
“. As sunlight passes through our atmosphere, the green to violet portion of the light spectrum is, essentially, filtered out. This same effect, by the way, is what makes our sky blue during the day.”
This is baloney. Blue light is scattered by the atmosphere, not filtered out.
...something I saw on Drudge.
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