Total Lunar Eclipse Blood Moon Falls on Election Day: An Event Line Up that Will Not Happen Again Until 2394

The total lunar eclipse, or "blood moon," will fall on Election Day. Experts say this event lineup will not happen again until 2394.

On Tuesday, November 8, 2022, a total lunar eclipse will be visible from Oceania, Asia, the Americas, and Northern Europe as the moon passes through the shadow of Earth.

Set Your Alarms

The moon will reappear at about 7:49 AM EDT (1149 GMT), ending the eclipse, which will start at 4:10 AM EST (08:10 GMT). However, the total eclipse period will only last from 5:17 AM EST (09:17 GMT) to 6:42 AM EST (10:42 GMT).

The moon appears less bright because sunlight cannot reach it. After all, it is in the earth's shadow. The disk of the moon will eventually appear to be illuminated indirectly by the sun as the eclipse progresses, but some light still reaches the moon.

The moon may appear brownish red during the total lunar eclipse as a result of sunlight striking its disk after appearing bent around the planet by Earth's atmosphere, which also blocks out blue light.

When the sun, earth, and moon are all in a straight line with the earth in the middle and the moon in the other, a lunar eclipse will take place.

Lunar eclipses are viewable from anywhere on Earth where the moon is over the horizon. Eclipses don't occur every month, but when they do, it's two to three times a year. In contrast to solar eclipses, observers can safely look directly at lunar eclipses.

With the previous lunar eclipse on May 16, this year's second and final total lunar eclipse will occur on Tuesday.

How will the total lunar eclipse proceed?

Because the shadow of the earth is divided into several sections, the moon's appearance changes as the eclipse progresses.

The penumbra and umbra are the terms used to describe the two halves of the shadow cast by the earth. When the moon is in the umbra, a much darker region of the planet's shadow, a total lunar eclipse occurs.

When the moon has partially exited the umbra and is edging back into the penumbra, the total eclipse is over, and the moon is once again partially obscured. The moon's disk is covered by Earth's shadow during this time.

The moon completely exits Earth's inner shadow at 7:49 AM EST (11:49 GMT), ending the partial eclipse. At around 8:56 AM EST, the moon then emerges from the penumbra (1256 GMT).

The following lunar eclipse-the first of 2023-will take place on May 6. This will be a penumbral eclipse, meaning that the moon's disk will only be covered by the Earth's outer, fainter shadow, making it potentially simple to miss, Space.com reports.

Fun Facts!

• According to the Almanac, a total lunar eclipse occurring on election day is unprecedented in US history. It has never occurred before and won't do so until the year 2394.
• This eclipse is known as a "Blood Moon" because the eclipsed Moon will appear strange and coppery.
• Even though it may seem that way to people on Earth, the full Moon is not really a perfect circle.
• According to Live Science, because beavers frequently seek shelter in lodges in the middle of the fall, November's Beaver Moon was given that name. Additionally, this is the time of year during which beaver trappers go out to gather ample warm pelts for the upcoming winter.