Rare ‘beaver blood moon’ marks last total lunar eclipse in three years | World News

On Tuesday, stargazers in East Asia, Australia, the Pacific and North America saw a rare “beaver blood moon” during the last total lunar eclipse in three years.

Total lunar eclipses usually occur every six months, but astronomers will have to wait until March 14, 2025 to see them again.

A blood moon occurs when Earth’s orbit positions it between the moon and the sun, blocking sunlight and darkening the lunar sphere to a reddish color.

Beaver Moon is the nickname for the November full moon, derived from the Native American language Alogonquian.

The six-hour spectacle begins at 3 a.m. ET and peaks about three hours later

This "beaver blood moon" A partial lunar eclipse can be seen above the Washington Monument
picture:
See the ‘Beaver Blood Moon’ Partial Eclipse Over the Washington Monument

Why does the moon look red?

When the Moon is directly behind Earth, sunlight must pass through our planet’s atmosphere to reach the Moon, giving the light an unusual blood color.

The intensity of the color depends on atmospheric conditions such as air pollution, sandstorms, wildfire smoke and volcanic ash.

This is the second Blood Moon of the year, following a mid-May.

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