A total lunar eclipse occurred on Nov. 8 across North America, the Pacific, Australia and Asia. It will not happen again until March 14, 2025.
The eclipse was visible from any clear night sky in the areas mentioned above. According to NASA, the eclipse began at 5:17 a.m. EST and ended at 6:42 a.m. EST.
Photo by Benny Wan, used with permission
A lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon (which happens when the moon is on the opposite side of the sun) enters Earth’s shadow. According to Space, eclipses do not often happen because “the moon’s orbit is slightly inclined to the plane of Earth’s orbit, so the moon ‘misses’ the shadow.”
The full moon was called the “blood” moon because the Earth’s shadow often showcases a red color, which is associated with blood.
In the past, moons were used to track the seasons in the Native American culture, where each full and new moon received a name. The November full moon is called the beaver moon because “This was the time when beavers finished preparations for winter and retreated into their lodges,” according to the almanac.
The full live stream is available to watch on timeanddate’s YouTube channel. A shortened version is available on NASA’s website.