If you were up really early this morning and under clear skies, you might have been among those seeing the full moon pass through Earth’s shadow, turning it a dark red-orange.
The celestial show was the first total lunar eclipse that Georgia has seen since November 2022. Only partial eclipses have occurred since then, and not all have been visible in the United States.
No special equipment was needed, but binoculars or a telescope and a dark environment away from city lights were expected to enhance the viewing experience.
Metro Atlanta residents and others across the state posted images overnight on social media as they caught the spectacle in the skies.
This was the first total lunar eclipse of 2025, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Another total eclipse will happen Sept. 7, but it will only be visible in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.
The United States won’t see another total lunar eclipse until March 3 of next year and a partial one on Aug. 28, 2026.
Then, the Americas won’t see another total eclipse until 2029. One will happen in 2028, but it will only visible in the Eastern Hemisphere.
Lunar eclipses happen when the sun, Earth and moon align just right so that the moon passes through the shadow cast by Earth as it orbits the planet.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The red-orange tint is caused by the same visual phenomenon that makes the sky blue and sunsets red. It’s also why eclipses are sometimes called “blood moons.” The full moon is covered during a total eclipse and blushes coppery red because of stray bits of sunlight filtering through Earth’s atmosphere.
The moon entered the outer part of the earth’s shadow — or penumbra — right before midnight, according to NASA.
By 1:09 a.m. Friday, the moon reached the fully shaded area of earth’s shadow — the umbra — marking the beginning of the partial eclipse, NASA explains. Totality arrived a few minutes before 2:30 a.m., with a coppery red tint for about an hour as it journeyed across the shadow.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
With totality ending, the moon start the earlier phases in reverse until exiting the Earth’s shadow at 6 a.m.
And some history trivia reported from The Associated Press: A civilization in ancient Mesopotamia saw the blood red moon as a bad omen for the king. The people installed a substitute king on the throne around the time of the eclipse to protect their ruler from any bad will.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
