Mark your calendar on the 7th of September if you wish to see the 2025 blood moon! While it may sound like something out of a teenage horror film, a blood moon is another name for a total lunar eclipse. The entire lunar eclipse will be visible from beginning till end across Western Australia and Asia. Some phases will also be visible from Africa, Europe, New Zealand, and eastern Australia. These striking total lunar eclipses can only occur during a full moon, when it is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun. While not regarded as particularly significant astronomically, they are something quite incredible to behold.
What is a Blood Moon?
A full moon usually doesn’t experience an eclipse because it is orbiting in a slightly different plane than the sun and the Earth. Yet, there are certain occasions when these planes coincide and the Earth passes in between the sun and the moon. When this occurs, light from the sun is cut off and the moon is eclipsed. A partial eclipse occurs when only a part of the sun is blocked by the Earth, causing its shadow to fall on the moon. A total eclipse, on the other hand, occurs when the moon is completely in Earth’s shadow. Some of the sunlight is refracted by Earth’s atmosphere and reaches the moon.
This process is called Rayleigh scattering. It is what gives the blood moon its distinctive red color. When light from the sun passes through our planet’s atmosphere, the short violet and blue wavelengths scatter in every direction. However, the red wave lengths are longer and bend around the curvature of the Earth, continuing towards the moon. When fully in the shadow of the Earth, the moon is solely illuminated by this red light.
It’s quite amazing to think that the moon is essentially being illuminated by every sunrise and sunset occurring across the planet at that moment. The specific tone of red will change for every blood moon due to various external factors. If our skies are clear, the moon may take on a soft coppery glow. However, if there is a lot of pollution, volcanic ash, or dust in the air, the moon will take on a brick-red or blood red tone. There are around two to four lunar eclipses every year, and all of them are visible by around half of the Earth. Its one of many celestial events you’ll want to see this year.
How The Blood Moon Was Viewed Historically
Blood moons have been historically viewed as something to both fear and revere across different cultures. Some people, such as the Mesopotamians, saw a lunar eclipse as a sign of impending doom for the king. The Inca believed that a jaguar was attacking and consuming it. In China, it was a dragon that was thought to devour the moon. In Christian Europe, a red moon was considered an omen of the apocalypse. Tribal people had no knowledge of when they would occur, and at least in one scenario, their lack of knowledge was used against them. In 1504, Christopher Columbus and his crew were stranded on an island, which is today known as Jamaica. The people who lived on the island, the Arawak, were initially welcoming to Columbus and his people. However, in time, Columbus’s crew robbed and murdered some of the islanders.
The locals refused to help the crew find food after that, and they realized they would soon starve. However, Columbus had an almanac and knew exactly when the next blood moon would occur. Columbus then told the islanders that the Christian god had been angered by the fact that they hadn’t been fed and would turn the moon red to show his fury. According to Columbus’s son Ferdinand, “with great howling and lamentation came running from every direction to the ships laden with provisions, praying to the Admiral to intercede with his god on their behalf.”
Viewing the 2025 Blood Moon
The total phase of the 2025 blood moon will last for 83 minutes. Most lunar eclipses only last around an hour, so this one is particularly special. The eclipse also occurs just under three days before the moon is at its closest point to the Earth. This means that in addition to being red, it will also appear slightly brighter and larger than usual. Since the full moon is usually so bright, the other stars are usually dimmed by comparison. However, during a blood moon, you can typically see more stars in the sky. Luckily, more than 77% of the world’s population will be able to view the upcoming lunar eclipse. This includes much of Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia. However, for those living in America, this is not a blood moon that will be visible from that side of the world, unfortunately.
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