The red moon, often called the blood moon, appears about twice or thrice a year. It mainly occurs during the eclipse season. Eclipse season is basically a time zone when the possibility of total lunar eclipses increases. Eclipse season only lasts for 35 days, at six–month intervals. This season appears two or occasionally three times each year.
A red moon can last for more than two hours. The name red moon is the scientific name of the Blood moon. The blood moon occurs during the total lunar eclipse. A total lunar eclipse appears when the Sun, the Earth, and Moon come in one line.
Earth covers the moon with its shadow. The casted shadow on the moon occurs due to the sun’s rays. The sunlight hits the gaseous atmosphere of the Earth and causes the green and violet wavelengths to scatter. Since the green and violet wavelengths scatter on the visible spectrum more than the red wavelength, it eventually causes the moon to appear reddish.
What causes a blood moon?
The shadow of the Earth on the moon basically causes the blood moon. This phenomenon is known as the total Lunar eclipse, in which the Sun, Earth and the moon come in one line. The rays coming out of the Sun pass by the thick layer of Earth’s atmosphere, casting a shadow on the moon. The hitting rays cause the moon to appear red.
Why does the moon always turn red?
The Earth’s atmosphere plays a significant role in this phenomenon of moon colour. When the sun’s rays hit the Earth’s gaseous layers, it refracts filtered rays in such a way that green and violet wavelengths scatter more intensely on the visible spectrum and thus gives the reddish appearance to the Moon.
When is the next blood moon?
The predicted next blood moon (based on the eclipse cycle) will be on 8 November 2022. The type of the eclipse will be a “total lunar eclipse”. It will appear on node A. Node is a point where the moon and the Sun intersect.
Does the blood moon affect humans?
Not certainly. Many people believe that they feel a change in their behaviour. For instance, they feel sleep troubles and violent behaviours, and even females feel the difference in their menstrual cycles during an eclipse, but it is not scientifically proven yet.
What is moon sickness?
The term Moon Sickness is strongly associated with ancient times. In the early centuries, it was believed that the total moon eclipse caused some health issues, and the crime rate also rose during the eclipse season.
Today, people still believe that an eclipse or a red moon can affect their health. Many observations have also shown that people feel anxious and violent during the eclipse season. Even pregnant women are advised to stay inside during the full moon.
But, scientists are still not certain about it. There is yet no scientific proof to justify this behavioural change in people during the lunar eclipse.
Why is the Red Moon called the Blood Moon?
The name “Blood Moon” isn’t a scientific term; instead, many people from different cultures collectively named it based on their beliefs. Most of these beliefs are myths from ancient times.
