Ominous blood moon set to rise on Tuesday

On Tuesday, November 8, 2022, stargazers around the world can experience a breathtaking total lunar eclipse which will begin shortly before the polls open on U.S. Election Day and will peak at 5:50am ET. This will be the last total lunar eclipse until 2025 and will be completely visible over the Pacific Ocean and most of North America. While in Australia, Asia, and northeastern Europe it will be seen over the rising moon, in South America and Eastern North America it will be seen over the setting moon.

This cosmic event, characterized by a sinister blood-colored moon, occurs when the Sun, Earth, and moon align perfectly and the only sunlight reaching the lunar surface is that passing through our planet’s atmosphere. Thus, the moon’s blood-red color is caused by light passing through the dust accumulated in the Earth’s atmosphere.

The process leading up to the blood moon will begin at 3:02 ET when the moon travels into the outer region of the Earth’s shadow and starts to become dimmer. About an hour later, as the moon moves more into our planet’s shadow, the moon will appear as if a bite was taken out of its surface, and at 5:17am, it will be completely shrouded by the Earth’s shadow and will turn copper-red.

“The best weather conditions for viewing the lunar eclipse are expected in a zone from Maine through Mississippi and most of the Intermountain West,” said Brian Lada, an AccuWeather meteorologist.

“There should be enough breaks in the clouds to witness the astronomical alignment across most of Quebec and into Atlantic Canada, as well as British Columbia. Clouds will be a higher concern for stargazers across most of the Midwest and into the Plains, across the West Coast and parts of the Atlantic coast in the southeastern United States.”

Since the next lunar eclipse is not set to occur until May 16, 2025, experiencing tomorrow’s amazing celestial event is a must for passionate stargazers!

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By Andrei Ionescu, Earth.com Staff Writer