All the best photos of the last ‘Blood Moon’ total lunar eclipse in years

Tuesday morning’s final total lunar eclipse until 2025 saw the lunar surface turn a reddish-copper color for an astonishing 86 minutes.

Western states saw the scene while still overall from the east coast of the US, they saw the entire event higher up in the night sky.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when a full moon passes through Earth’s shadow 870,000 miles/1.4 million kilometers into space. Tuesday’s event saw the Moon move through the northern half of Earth’s shadow rather than right through its center. This made the lunar surface slightly brighter, particularly at the northern end.

This total lunar eclipse was followed by a partial solar eclipse on October 25, 2022 — two weeks ago. Eclipses usually come in twos or threes. This is because every 173 days, for 31 to 37 days, the Moon is perfectly aligned to cross the ecliptic. The result is a brief period during which two—and occasionally three—solar and lunar eclipses can occur back to back.

Eclipses do not occur every month because the Moon’s orbit around Earth is tilted 5º to the ecliptic, so usually the New Moon is above or below the Sun and the Full Moon is above or below the Earth’s shadow.

During the event, the seventh planet Uranus was close to the lunar disk and observed with a sharp eye for the tiny blue-green object. From parts of Asia and Alaska, the Moon occluded Uranus, hiding it from view while the Moon was full.

The only light that reaches the lunar surface during a total lunar eclipse is first filtered by Earth’s atmosphere. Short-wavelength blue light from the Sun hits molecules in Earth’s atmosphere and scatters, but longer-wavelength red and orange light mostly travels directly, hitting fewer molecules.

Last year there it was not a total lunar eclipse was in 2017, but they take a break for a few years. The next total lunar eclipse is on March 14, 2025, when the total eclipse will last for 65 minutes – and will be visible from North America.

The next largest total since Tuesday will be a 102-minute event on June 26, 2029. This will be visible from North America, South America and the Pacific, Atlantic, Europe and Africa.

Disclaimer: I am its author WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com

I wish you clear skies and open eyes.