This story has been updated.
A total lunar eclipse was visible early Tuesday morning. Known as a blood moon for its dark red hue, the phenomenon won’t occur for another three years.
A total eclipse goes through several phases. Darkening begins during the penumbral stage at 3:02 a.m. when the moon begins to pass into earth’s shadow. A partial eclipse was visible starting at 4:09 a.m., partially obscuring the moon in a dark umbra.
From 5:17 to 6:42 a.m., the eclipse entered totality. The entire moon was flooded in Earth’s shadow and turned coppery red.
Outreach coordinator for the IU astronomy department Brooke Kimsey-Miller explained that partial eclipses are more common because of the way the moon and Earth travel relative to one another.
“It’s rare (to have) total lunar eclipses because of the inclination of the moon's orbit with Earth,” Kimsey-Miller said. “The moon doesn't pass through or shadow every time it orbits the Earth.”
This event is a prelude to another rare event, a total solar eclipse in 2024. “Lunar eclipses tend to follow closely with solar eclipses,” Kimsey-Miller said. “We have the upcoming Great American Eclipse. It's the solar eclipse that's coming up in April 2024.” Unlike the 2017 solar eclipse, the totality of the 2024 eclipse will pass directly over Bloomington.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said the eclipse would take place Wednesday morning.
