A blood moon, or red coloring of the moon occurs while the Earth’s shadow blocks the sun
What Happens During a Lunar Eclipse?
Early on March 14, 2025, around 1 AM Eastern time, the bottom left corner of the full moon will enter Earth’s umbra, where the Earth’s shadow completely hides the Sun. The umbra will continue to darken the moon as it slowly sinks into Earth’s shadow.
Within 45 minutes over half of the moon will darken inside the umbra as it moves closer to totality, or the complete passage inside the Earth’s shadow.
The most dramatic moment will occur at 2:15 AM, when the top right corner of the moon will brighten as totality begins.
Then the moon will change, appearing red or copper in color for approximately one hour before exiting the umbra. This phenomenon is also known as a blood moon.
The vibrant color during the eclipse, is a reflection of hues from all of Earth’s continuous sunrises and sunsets which are normally washed out by the brightness of the Sun.
The lunar eclipse will be visible from most of the western hemisphere, including north, central and half of South America.
All phases of a lunar eclipse are safe to view, both with your naked eye or an unfiltered telescope.
The last total lunar eclipse occurred in November of 2022, and the next one, visible from the western hemisphere, will be in March 2026.
Did you know, of all 221 known moons in the solar system, only our Earth and moon are capable of a totality view?
And, if you were on the moon during the lunar eclipse, the Earth would appear in totality at the same time, while the sun was behind it.
This is because the distance between the Earth, Moon and Sun are a precise ratio to the sizes of each celestial body.
If you learned something new, please comment and share this video.
Footage Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio and Pixabay.com
Script, artwork, and editing: Jef Gray
Production: International Peace and Film Festival
