When was the last Total Lunar Eclipse? Everything that happened during the previous Blood Moon

This week, between Thursday night (March 13) and Friday morning (March 14), many people across the globe will be able to witness a beautiful and unique phenomenon, as the “blood moon” will be visible in North America, South America, the western parts of Europe, and Africa.

It’s been nearly three years since the last total lunar eclipse, which took place on November 8, 2022.

The last “blood moon”

It’s not every night we get to witness the moon turn red. A total lunar eclipse only occurs when the moon and sun are on exact opposite sides of the Earth. Because of the Earth’s shadow on the moon, it turns a reddish orange color, which is why it’s often referred to as a blood moon. The more dust or clouds there are in Earth’s atmosphere during the eclipse, the redder the moon will appear.

The last blood moon on November 8, 2022 happened to fall on the United States' Election Day, marking a first in U.S. history. It was visible in the U.S. as well as Asia, Australia, and the Pacific.

No special equipment was needed to view the blood moon, and it lasted for 85 minutes. The most fortunate viewers of that blood moon, however, were those in Hawaii and Alaska, as they could see all stages of the eclipse.

The next blood moon

The blood moon that will occur this Thursday night should complete all its phases in about six hours and three minutes. In the United States, the eclipse should start at around 11:57 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 13 and reach totality at around 2:30 a.m. on Friday, March 14. It should be visible in every state.

According to NASA, the next blood moon after this week’s will be in March 2026. Fun fact: this blood moon and the next are also considered “worm moons” because they occur in March. The name comes from “The Old Farmer’s Almanac”, which says that Native American tribes in the 1760s would use beetle larvae which came from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts at the time.

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