A partial lunar eclipse may have been the highlight of the month in the western United States for many of us, but others in other parts of the world are enjoying one of the most spectacular celestial events on the calendar.
The first of three consecutive partial lunar eclipses of 2019 will begin this weekend with a partial eclipse Sunday. With millions of people flocking to the East Coast of the United States for Christmas celebrations or catching the last flights home for 2019, many will have missed out on an amazing celestial spectacle.
During the next three eclipses, the moon will experience three “trips” around the Earth for the first time in nearly a century. When the sun, moon and Earth line up in such a way, the Earth actually blocks the sun’s rays to the moon. That makes the moon appear to be a reddish-orange color and makes that blood red the color of fire, said Frank Mora, a astronomer at the Parkes Observatory in Australia and co-author of the book, “Eclipse-Manic” (Paulist, 2012).
It is a blood moon because the shadow cast by the sun, Earth and moon will be reddish to orange, orange to red. [Blood Moon 2019: When It Happens and How to See It (Infographic)]
Even if you are away from the bright lights of your town on a clear day, the eclipse is still worth seeing.
“It is an event that people should not miss,” Mora told Space.com.
That’s because lunar eclipses cause its natural phenomena — those which we see around us each day — to fall out of their normal place, Mora said. This can make this dip in the sun’s rays look more eerie than usual.
During the eclipse in the United States, “you’ll see lots of places, like Durham, North Carolina, use waterfalls or have fireworks displays,” Mora said. “You’ll see it in England or Sweden. It’ll be interesting, really.”
Editor’s note: If you capture an amazing view of the lunar eclipse or another night sky view and would like to share it with Space.com for a story or gallery, send images and comments to managing editor Tariq Malik at [email protected].
Email Meghan Bartels at [email protected] or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.