This Thursday night, after about two and a half years, the Moon will turn a reddish color.
The term "Blood Moon" is used to describe the reddish color of the Moon during a lunar eclipse, resembling a rust-like hue.
Less frequently, this term is also used to describe the four total lunar eclipses that can be observed from one location over two years.
If you stay in the same spot on Earth for ten years, you can typically observe four to five total lunar eclipses. However, it is quite rare for four eclipses to occur consecutively.
WHY DOES THE BLOOD MOON APPEAR RED?
Like any opaque object, the Earth blocks sunlight, casting a shadow into space. However, unlike Earth's rocky mass, its atmosphere allows some light to pass through.
The gas layers in the atmosphere scatter certain wavelengths of light more, with shorter blue wavelengths scattered less and longer red wavelengths being scattered more.
This scattering effect causes the daytime sky to appear blue, while sunrise and sunset often feature more orange and red tones.
This refraction and scattering effect creates a reddish glow around the edges of the cone-shaped shadow cast by the Earth.
The Moon only passes through this shadow area a few times each year, due to its small size and proximity to Earth. Additionally, the Moon's orbit is tilted slightly compared to Earth's orbit.
When direct sunlight is completely blocked, reddish light passing through Earth's atmosphere reaches the surface of the Moon, giving it a spooky red color.
Sometimes, a rare event called the "Super Blue Blood Moon" may occur, where a Supermoon and Blood Moon happen simultaneously.
