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9 Facts About this Morning’s Blood Moon

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28 September 2015

By Bronwen

Last night, if you could be bothered,  you were hopefully looking out of your window at the blood moon, AKA total lunar eclipse. The best times to look out were 3.11 am and 4.24 am, and most astrologers suggested that you use binoculars to get a better look. Here are a few facts that can help you really appreciate how amazing the sheer concept of a blood moon is:

The phenomenon occurs when the moon passes behind the earth, meaning the earth blocks the sun’s rays from hitting the moon.

There are four to five solar eclipses in a decade and you can see them from anywhere on earth.

Some people believe that eclipses are religiously significant, as they coincide with important Jewish festivals.

Every once in a while, four total lunar eclipses happen in a row and this is called a lunar tetrad. The total lunar eclipses happen six months apart. This eclipse is the last eclipse of the tetrad. This has only happened three times in the last five hundred years.

The maximum time for a lunar eclipse is three hours and forty minutes, whereas the minimum for a solar eclipse is seven minutes and forty seconds.

Two Christian pastors have predicted that Jesus Christ will return on Monday, and the eclipse is just his way of letting us know.

You don’t need specialist glasses to look at the moon – unlike the total solar eclipse that happened a few months ago – as the blood moon doesn’t emit its own light.

This blood moon was the last one until 2033.

Some folk believe that this moon signifies the end of the world, though NASA have revealed that they believe this is unlikely.

 

 

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