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The full moon, which will turn a coppery red hue in the sky on Tuesday, November 8, will kick off Election Day with an event of its own early in the morning—a total lunar eclipse.
The second of the year, the eclipse will begin at 3:02 am ET, with the moon initially dimming for the first hour and ending at 8:50 am ET.
In totality, at the stage when the entire moon will be in the Earth’s shadow, the moon will take on a deep reddish color, so a total eclipse is also called a blood moon. Skywatchers will be able to see the stunning effect that begins at 5:17 PM ET. according to NASA.
Dr. Alphonse Sterling, an astrophysicist NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “I think they are excellent learning devices for people who want to get into astronomy.”
A total lunar eclipse occurs on average approximately every 1½ years, and the next total lunar eclipse will not occur until March 14, 2025 – although partial and semi-shaded lunar eclipses will continue to occur in the meantime. A penumbra lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through Earth’s outer shadow or penumbra, so the visual effect is more subtle.
Viewers of a total lunar eclipse will be able to see the curvature of Earth’s shadow, which is slowly beginning to swallow the Moon completely. At least some of this phenomenon will be visible in East Asia, Australia, the Pacific, North America and Central America. according to NASA.
Every first full moon of November is called a beaver moon in honor of the semi-aquatic rodents. This is the time of year when beavers begin to take shelter after storing their food for the winter, accordingly. The Old Farmer’s Almanac. The almanac states that it will be at 6:02 am ET during the brightest part of the month.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth, and moon align so that the moon passes through the Earth’s shadow. Because of this arrangement, unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse can be viewed from anywhere during the night where the moon is located. According to Sterling, nearby stars are often obscured by the moon’s glow, but the moon dims enough that they are revealed during the eclipse time.
“For solar eclipses you have to be in the right place, but for lunar eclipses the location isn’t nearly as precise,” Sterling said. Said.
“It is night when the moon is in shadow, half of the world can see it. So basically, it’s available to half the world.”
According to NASA, the same phenomenon that paints the sky blue and the sunset red causes the moon to turn rusty red during a lunar eclipse. During a lunar eclipse, Earth’s atmosphere scatters sunlight, allowing red, orange, and yellow light to pass through, scattering the blue light typically seen on the moon.
In the eastern United States and Canada, the moon will set before the eclipse ends, so it’s best to look to the western horizon to see the whole thing. Eye protection is required to watch an eclipse, but you can safely enjoy the lunar eclipse without any equipment – but your vision can be improved with binoculars.
“This is a really nice thing, especially about lunar eclipses. You don’t need anything but your eyes. The moon is a bright object, so you don’t need a particularly dark place to see the event,” Sterling said.
After the beaver blood moon, there is another full moon event this year, according to this The Old Farmer’s Almanac. The cold month occurs on December 7th.
As for meteor showers, you can watch the Southern Taurus in the night sky right now. Catch the peak of upcoming meteor shower events this year, According to EarthSky 2022 meteor shower guide:
• Northern Taurus: 12 November
• Leonids: 17-18 November
• Gemini: December 13-14
• Ursids: 22-23 December
