The Orange County Independent News from Orange County California
Orange County is well positioned to view a Blood Moon created by a total lunar eclipse late Thursday March 13, and into the early morning hours on Friday.
Beginning around 11:26 p.m. local time, viewers will see a total lunar eclipse if the skies are clear. The eclipse will create a “blood moon”. The effect will last for about an hour.
According to NASA, “A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align so that the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow. In a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra. When the Moon is within the umbra, it appears red-orange. Lunar eclipses are sometimes called ‘Blood Moons’ because of this phenomenon.”
You do not need any special glasses or equipment to view the eclipse.
“During a lunar eclipse, the Moon appears red or orange because any sunlight that’s not blocked by our planet is filtered through a thick slice of Earth’s atmosphere on its way to the lunar surface. It’s as if all the world’s sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the Moon,” per the NASA website.
