Unfortunately for some, dreams of gazing upon Monday night’s Blood Moon were shattered because of the weather.
However, there was some compensation with the plethora of incredible shots that hit the internet during the event — and in the hours following.
The moon began to change color at about 1:58 a.m. ET Tuesday as it started to sink into the Earth’s shadow. It didn’t reveal its deep red color until around 3:07 ET, and the celestial show lasted until 4:24 a.m. ET.
During a so-called Blood Moon, the moon takes on its color – which is dependent on what is in the Earth’s atmosphere — as it passes through the Earth’s shadow, reflecting the planet’s sunrises and sunsets.
There are generally two lunar eclipses per year, NASA says, although some of them go unnoticed.
The United States is particularly lucky in 2014-2015. Tuesday’s blood moon was the first in a series of four that will be seen in the coming year. This phenomenon is known by NASA as a tetrad.
“The most unique thing about the 2014-2015 tetrad is that all of them are visible for all or parts of the USA,” said NASA eclipse expert Fred Espenak.
And if you look at centuries past, The U.S. really is extremely lucky.
There was a 300-year period before the 20th Century when there were no total lunar eclipses, so the likes of Sir Isaac Newton, Mozart, Queen Anne, George Washington, Napoleon and Abraham Lincoln never saw one.
Best blood moon pic we've seen from any camera tonight courtesy of one of you guys. Wow. pic.twitter.com/3kRNQW4blD
— OneRepublic (@OneRepublic) April 15, 2014
Here are some celebrity Instagram shots of the Blood Moon:
For those of you who missed last night’s show — chin up. There will still be a few more opportunities in the next 15 months to see one. Here are the dates of future Blood Moon Lunar Eclipses: October 8, 2014; April 4, 2015, and September 28, 2015.
Check this out. A guy in Dallas actually proposed during Tuesday’s Blood Moon.
Image via YouTube
