2nd Blood Moon

Blood Moon from April 14-15th, 2014

Well, it has been another long hiatus from blogging. I can't promise I won't put this blog down again for an extended time... but I think I might make an effort to keep it going for now, for whatever that is worth. When I last posted, we were going through the "Black Super Moons" for New Years and Chinese New Years. Since then, we have had a year full of Lunar energy.  Auspicious New Moons, super close Full Moons... and Eclipses.

Tonight... well technically tomorrow morning... we will have the second Total Lunar Eclipse of a Tetrad that will extend into 2015.  Eclipses of this length have come to be known as "Blood Moons" by the hype brigade because after a couple minutes of being fully eclipsed, the shaded moon tends to reappear as a dull, blood-red moon.  I won't get into the science of why this is... but I will just say that the term "Blood Moon" is not scientifically significant, nor is it part of some ancient mystic tradition (that I am aware of').  The Blood Moon IS, however... an especially tight alignment of the Earth, Sun and Moon, as well as a spectacular show visible to something like 2/3rds of the world's population!

Truthfully, because these things tend to happen during people's sleeping hours, and not everyone finds such things as awesome as I... I am willing to bet a very narrow percentage of the world's population will actually witness the entire event. While it is true that some part of the eclipse will be visible from Brazil to Kazakhstan (going west), you can't really say you have seen an eclipse if you miss the totality portion. This time period, when the moon is completely dark (and will then turn blood red), will only be visible in it's entirety to the West Coast of the US, the East Coast of Australia, the North of Japan... and the various Island Nations of the Pacific.

Here is the blow by blow:   (due to the location of visibility, all times are PDT)

Penumbral Eclipse begins Oct 8 at 1:17am Earth's penumbra touches the Moon's face.
Partial Eclipse begins Oct 8 at 2:18             Partial moon eclipse starts - Shadow on the Moon.
Total Eclipse begins Oct 8 at 3:27                Total moon eclipse starts - Completely dark, then red.
Maximum Eclipse Oct 8 at 3:55                  Moon is closest to the center of the shadow.
Total Eclipse ends Oct 8 at 4:22                   Total moon eclipse ends.  Diamond ring effect.
Partial Eclipse ends Oct 8 at 5:32                Partial moon eclipse ends.
Penumbral Eclipse ends Oct 8 at 6:32am    The Moon goes back to normal.

For people on the West Coast... at the end, the Moon will be close to the horizon, so make sure you have free sight to West.

Well folks... there you go.  I am posting this with enough time that some of you should be able to go out and actually see this thing... instead of after the fact, like I sometimes do.  I hope you take advantage of it.  I realize this may be short notice... and a work day... but if you do manage to catch it, post a reply here, letting me know.

Au revoir one and all.   See you on the other side.