Early Tuesday morning, a total lunar eclipse will occur.
A total lunar eclipse, often nicknamed a “blood moon” because of its reddish hue, takes place when the moon passes through Earth’s shadow entirely. The eclipse is visible for about an hour as the moon enters the Earth’s center shadow, called the umbra.
While partial lunar eclipses typically happen a few times a year, total eclipses can be as rare as every three years. In this case, the next total lunar eclipse won’t happen again until New Year’s Eve in 2028.
During the total eclipse, the moon will appear red because Earth blocks almost all sunlight from reaching the moon. While blue light bounces in different directions and scatters easily, red light is more direct and bends through the earth’s atmosphere to reach the moon.
Catherine Pilachowski, astronomer and professor at IU, said many factors produce what is visible during a total eclipse.
“There’s lots of geometry and wonderful things about these eclipses that tell us a lot about the basic physics of light passing through the atmosphere,” she said.
The eclipse is set to peak around 6:04 a.m. in Indiana and will be harder to spot as the sun begins to rise at 7 a.m. It is recommended to find a spot with a good view of the western horizon and minimal light pollution. Potential morning rain and overcast skies may impact chances of spotting the eclipse depending on location.
Pilachowski said events like this can help the community feel connected to the planet and wider universe.
“This connection to the sky and the universe beyond is a little harder to grasp, particularly when we have light pollution, but the lunar and solar eclipses seem to help us make that connection,” she said. “We are on a planet, one little star in the universe, and we get to see these amazing celestial events that just happen to line up.”
