NASA explains the Blood Moons: Three things I learned

Do the blood moons mean anything or just a random event for sky watchers?

 

The article below was taken from NASA Science News. It explains from NASA’s point of view what if anything should be made of these series of four eclipses that has been called a Tetrad of Blood Moons.

I’ve known about them since 2007, but I learned three things by reading this article that I didn’t know before.

The coming Tetrad (four) of blood moons is important and much talked about in the field of biblical prophecy. Many believe these coming eclipses are a warning of impending judgment from God.

It is commonly stated that the warning is for the world, Israel, or unbelievers.

Maybe, if it is a warning from God, it has a more specific focus.

Here’s what I learned from this article. I have never heard these specifics before, but maybe that’s because I never took the subject very seriously.

1. All four blood moons will be visible from the United States.
2. Tetrads occur randomly. They have been rare, but currently they are increasing in regularity.
3. The first of the current set of four (April 15th, Tuesday) begins at about 2:00 p.m. Eastern time which is 11:00 Pacific time; just before the third and fourth watches of the night.

The fourth watch of the night is when those who are asleep are ‘dead-asleep.’ They are in their deepest sleep. The East Coast sleepers will be out while the West Coast sleepers may still be keeping the party going.

The bible refers to four ‘watches’ of the night. The full blood moon this Tuesday will be visible over most of the United States when the 4th watch begins on the East Coast and when the 3rd watch begins on the West Coast (3:00 on the East and 12:00 on the West).

That probably means nothing…right? If the moons are a sign to anyone, then it would make sense that they are a sign to those who can see them.

They stretch across the sky of the United States starting next Tuesday when all of us are asleep.

Asleep

Humm. That gets me to thinking.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-9

1. “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you.

2. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

3. For when they shall say, peace and safety: then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

4. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

5. You are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

6. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

7. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunk are drunk in the night.

8. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

9. For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Maybe the message is for us ‘sleepers’ here in the United States. We have turned from our faith in the God of bible. Maybe He has a message for us; or maybe not and everything will be fine.

Go on about your business, nothing to see here folks.

 

Clay Writer

A Tetrad of Lunar Eclipses

 

March 27, 2014:  For people in the United States, an extraordinary series of lunar eclipses is about to begin.

The action starts on April 15^th when the full Moon passes through the amber shadow of Earth, producing a midnight eclipse visible across North America. So begins a lunar eclipse tetrad—a series of 4 consecutive total eclipses occurring at approximately six month intervals.  The total eclipse of April 15, 2014, will be followed by another on Oct. 8, 2014, and another on April 4, 2015, and another on Sept. 28 2015.

“The most unique thing about the 2014-2015 tetrad is that all of them are visible for all or parts of the USA,” says longtime NASA eclipse expert Fred Espenak.

A new ScienceCast video explains the lunar eclipse tetrad of 2014-2015.  Play it!

On average, lunar eclipses occur about twice a year, but not all of them are total.  There are three types:

A penumbral eclipse is when the Moon passes through the pale outskirts of Earth’s shadow.  It’s so subtle, sky watchers often don’t notice an eclipse is underway.

A partial eclipse is more dramatic.  The Moon dips into the core of Earth’s shadow, but not all the way, so only a fraction of Moon is darkened.

A total eclipse, when the entire Moon is shadowed, is best of all.  The face of the Moon turns sunset-red for up to an hour or more as the eclipse slowly unfolds.

Usually, lunar eclipses come in no particular order. A partial can be followed by a total, followed by a penumbral, and so on.  Anything goes. Occasionally, though, the sequence is more orderly. When four consecutive lunar eclipses are all total, the series is called a tetrad.

Click to view a complete visibility map of the April 15th lunar eclipse.

“During the 21st century, there are 9 sets of tetrads, so I would describe tetrads as a frequent occurrence in the current pattern of lunar eclipses,” says Espenak. “But this has not always been the case. During the three hundred year interval from 1600 to 1900, for instance, there were no tetrads at all.”

The April 15^th eclipse begins at 2 AM Eastern time when the edge of the Moon first enters the amber core of Earth’s shadow.  Totality occurs during a 78 minute interval beginning around 3 o’clock in the morning on the east coast, midnight on the west coast.  Weather permitting, the red Moon will be easy to see across the entirety of North America.

Why red?

A quick trip to the Moon provides the answer: Imagine yourself standing on a dusty lunar plain looking up at the sky. Overhead hangs Earth, nightside down, completely hiding the sun behind it. The eclipse is underway.

You might expect Earth seen in this way to be utterly dark, but it’s not. The rim of the planet is on fire! As you scan your eye around Earth’s circumference, you’re seeing every sunrise and every sunset in the world, all of them, all at once. This incredible light beams into the heart of Earth’s shadow, filling it with a coppery glow and transforming the Moon into a great red orb.

Mark your calendar for April 15^th and let the tetrad begin.

More information about the lunar eclipse may be found on NASA’s eclipse home page

Credits:

Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Production editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA