ORLANDO, Fla. – Just before polls open on Election Day, the Blood Moon eclipse will take center stage. This will be the second total lunar eclipse visible in Central Florida.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon moves into Earth’s shadow. During a total lunar eclipse, the moon appears to turn “blood red” as it gets deeper into the shadow. This happens when sunlight passes through particles in Earth’s atmosphere and become scattered, which is also what gives sunsets their color.
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This full moon is known as the Beaver Moon. It is known as the Beaver Moon because this is the time of the year when beavers start to take shelter in preparation for the upcoming winter.
Because red and and orange have longer-than-average wavelengths on the color spectrum, they tend to pass through the atmosphere rather than scatter away. That color is then refracted onto the moon’s surface.
The partial portion of the eclipse, where it appears a bite is being taken out of the moon, begins at 4:09 a.m. The moon starts to turn rust or blood red the deeper the eclipse get.
That total eclipse starts at 5:16 a.m.
The maximum eclipse, where the moon is closest to the center of Earth’s shadow is 5:59 a.m.
The total eclipse ends at 6:41 a.m., but the moon will be setting and will be very low on the horizon.
The moon is fully below the horizon at 6:48 a.m. The partial eclipse ends an hour later, but that will not be visible in Central Florida.
The next total lunar eclipse won’t be visible in Central Florida until 2025.
There will be two partial solar eclipses, one in 2023 and another in 2024 visible in Central Florida. Those require special glasses to view or permanent damage could be done to your eyes.
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