Sunlight passing through Earth's atmosphere turns the Moon reddish-orange during a lunar eclipse.
Click on image for full size
Eclipse photo courtesy Andy Steere; diagram courtesy NASA/Tony Phillips.
Lunar Eclipse in October 2004
News story originally written on October 27, 2004
There will be a total lunar eclipse on Wednesday
night, October 27, 2004. The Earth's shadow will darken the
Moon for more than three and a half hours, while the "total eclipse phase" will
span a period of about 80 minutes. If you live in the eastern part of North
America,
the middle of
the eclipse occurs around 11 P.M.
Just in time for Halloween, the Moon will turn a very pumpkin-like orange
or red during the eclipse. The copper hue of the Moon during an eclipse
is caused by red light refracting through Earth's atmosphere and lighting the
Moon.
Earth's shadow has two parts: a lighter outer ring, and an inner, darker circle.
During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon passes through both sections of this
shadow, so there are several different stages to the eclipse. The link to NASA's
page about this eclipse (below) provides details about the times of the different
stages for viewers in various locations.
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