Is it an Election Day red wave that reaches all the way into space?
Not quite, but as the polls in Eastern states such as New York state open Tuesday, the moon will be glowing red in the sky as a rare “blood moon” occurs.
To be clear, the phenomenon has nothing to do about the circumstances of any political party’s message being in alignment with the mood of the voters.
As noted by CBS, a “blood moon” takes place as part of the final phase of a total lunar eclipse, which is when the sun, Earth and moon all line up just right so that the Earth passes between the sun and moon, putting the moon in Earth’s shadow.
The eclipse will begin at 3:02 a.m. Eastern Time (that’s Standard Time because clocks go back Sunday).
The “blood moon” phase when the moon appears to be blood red will take place between 5:17 a.m. to 6:42 a.m. Eastern time, according to NASA. Pacific Time skygazers might see some reddish color as late as 4:49 a.m.
NASA said that depending on the cloud cover, the sky show can be seen from North and Central America, Colombia, and western portions of Venezuela and Peru. Folks who stay up overnight in Alaska and Hawaii to see the show can watch all the stages, NASA said.
There’s no telling how red the moon will get.
“The more dust or clouds in Earth’s atmosphere during the eclipse, the redder the Moon will appear,” NASA said.
High in the sky above the Red Wave of 2022.
A blood moon lunar eclipse will rise on Election Day over the United States.
“For the Chinese, this demonic entity was a dragon. For the Vikings, it was sky wolves. For the Hindu, it was the decapitated Rahu who chases down the sun and moon because they betrayed his bid for immortality. Occasionally, he catches and devours them — only for them to reappear from his severed throat,” it wrote.
“As late as the 1950s, European mothers would refuse to hang out diapers under a blood moon for fear it would bring bad luck to their babies,” it wrote.
During ancient history the Egyptians believed the eclipses were bad omens, a sign a King would fall—especially during the blood moon, as Akhenaten believed. Set in the fall would win the battle of Horus and the darkness would overcast. The battle between light/dark symbolically. pic.twitter.com/PijDUMskgP
NASA, citing the Maine Farmers Almanac, said November’s full moon has various Native American names including the Beaver Moon, the Frost or Frosty Moon, or the Snow Moon.
“For the Beaver Moon, one interpretation is that mid-Fall was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps freeze to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Beaver Moon came from how active the beavers are in this season as they prepare for winter. The Frost, Frosty, or Snow Moon names come from the frosts and early snows that begin this time of year, particularly in northeastern North America,” NASA wrote.
NASA noted that the next lunar eclipse visible from the U.S, will take place in 2025.