Causes of Blood Moon

There is a lot of myth and legend behind a Blood Moon. It is sometimes associated with rituals and witches, but the science behind a Blood Moon is actually quite simple. So, you may ask, what causes a blood moon?

First, you need to identify a Blood Moon, which is very simple. When looking at a blood moon, you can see that the moon has a copper or reddish appearance, hence making it a “blood” moon.

Blood Moons happen during a total lunar eclipse. This occurs when the Earth moves between the Moon and the Sun, casting a large shadow on the Moon, putting the Moon in darkness. Total lunar eclipses occurs when the Moon happens to be in a Full Moon stage. This means the Sun, Earth, and Moon are in an exact, straight line–None of them are slightly off or in a different plane.

One meaning of a "blood moon" is based on its red glow. This blood moon occurs during a total lunar eclipse. During a total lunar eclipse, Earth lines up between the Moon and the Sun. This hides the Moon from the sunlight.

When this happens, the only light that reaches the Moon's surface is from the edges of the Earth's atmosphere. The air molecules from Earth's atmosphere scatter out most of the blue light. The remaining light reflects onto the Moon's surface with a red glow, making the Moon appear red in the night sky.

The name "blood moon" is also sometimes used for a Moon that appears reddish because of dust, smoke or haze in the sky. And it can be one of the full moons of autumn when the leaves are turning red.