Comment Hours before citizens across the country vote in contested midterm elections, an ominous red moon will appear in the sky. The last total lunar eclipse of 2022 is set to paint the moon red during the early hours of Tuesday morning. Residents on both coasts will be able to watch the spectacle for less than 90 minutes. Total lunar eclipses, commonly known as “dumb moons,” only occur during full moons when the Earth completely shields the moon from the sun. Once the sun, earth, and moon are precisely aligned, light from simultaneous sunrises and sunsets around the earth is projected onto the moon, briefly causing a copper-red coat on the moon’s surface. The more dust or clouds in Earth’s atmosphere during the eclipse, the redder the moon will appear, according to NASA. From the moon, the total lunar eclipse will shine a bright red aura around Earth’s dark surface. “It’s a wonderful reminder of this really special connection between the Earth, the Moon and the Sun,” said Noah Petro, a scientist with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Project at NASA. The entire moon will glow copper-red from 5:17 AM. to 6:42 am Eastern time. But moon fanatics can wake up at 3:02 am. to see the moon enter the outer part of Earth’s shadow, called a “half” lunar eclipse. This will make the moon dim slightly. The partial eclipse, which will look like a bite taken out of the moon’s surface, is scheduled to begin at 4:09 a.m. Everyone on the night side of Earth will be able to see the eclipse. Viewers on the West Coast will be able to watch the entire lunar eclipse without interruption because it will occur in the middle of the night. Residents on the East Coast will watch the bronze moon dip below the horizon due to the early sunrise. Hawaii is the “absolute ideal location” to watch the eclipse, Pedro said. “Anywhere basically west of the central part of the country is in a slightly more privileged location,” Pedro said. “Like real estate, it’s all about location.” The first lunar eclipse of the year bathed the moon in a rusty bronze mantle last May. Those in California and the Pacific Northwest were only able to view the second half of the eclipse. Photos: Lunar eclipse with blood moon lighting up the night sky In any given year there can be as few as two lunar eclipses and as many as four, Geoff Chester, an astronomer and public affairs officer at the U.S. Naval Observatory, told the Washington Post. If there are two in a year, both tend to be total lunar eclipses. “Twice a year, someone somewhere on the planet will see a total lunar eclipse if it’s a year where we have two eclipses,” Chester said. Unlike the blinding effect of solar eclipses, you don’t need special equipment to see the reddish hues, but observing in a dark environment away from bright lights offers the best viewing, according to NASA. Astronomers can identify total lunar eclipses years in advance because of their knowledge of the Moon’s orbital patterns. “It all depends on knowing the moon’s orbit precisely where we can predict to the minute a solar and lunar eclipse,” Petro told The Post. Although scientists can predict the exact time the various phases of the eclipse will occur, there’s one thing they can’t predict: its color. The hue of total lunar eclipses varies from eclipse to eclipse and ranges from a coppery gold to a deep red. “We just don’t know exactly from eclipse to eclipse [what color] we are about to get the time of totality. And that adds an element of fun to it,” Chester said. This is the last time residents across the United States will be able to see a full moon until May 14, 2025. But those who miss that sighting will be able to see partial and partial eclipses between now and then. A faint lunar eclipse is scheduled to occur on May 5 and May 6 next year, and a partial lunar eclipse is set for next October 28, but neither of these eclipses will make the moon appear red. “Each eclipse is special because they’re all great opportunities to get outside and look at the moon, our closest neighbor in space,” Petro said. In two years, a total solar eclipse will travel from Texas to Maine
