Blood Moon---November 8, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

Monday November 7,  and the beautiful full moon rising over a clear night sky in Chicago. 

In the predawn hours on Tuesday November 8,  there will be a total lunar eclipse--a Blood Moon!

The name sounds ominous, a portent of bloodshed and doom.  

Eclipses and comets have been viewed as omens  throughout history. Death of kings or the birth of new things.  In these times of climate change, wars and COVID variations, PowerBall jackpots, Elon Musk taking over Twitter,  and mid-term elections, what could the Blood Moon mean? 

Here's the science. A lunar eclipse can only occur during a full moon, when the moon is directly opposite the sun in our sky. A reddish colored moon is caused by the umbral shadow of the Earth falling across the moon, and light  scattering in the Earth's atmosphere.   You can read more about the eclipse at the NASA Moon website here. 

Here is the timing for viewing the eclipse in Chicago---

• Partial eclipse begins at 3:09 AM
• Totality begins at 4:17 AM
• Peak of eclipse: 4:59 AM
• Totality ends at 5:42 AM
• Sunrise at 6:33 AM
• Moon sets at 6:41 AM

 NASA is also showing a live stream of the eclipse. You can follow along here. 

What does the eclipse mean for you and me?  I'm choosing hope over fear.  Choose light and art and beauty. Share the wonder with your friends and neighbors.  Choose freedom and possibility.  

If you haven't already, go VOTE on Tuesday!