Early Birds should keep an eye on the sky Friday morning!
November’s Full Moon will also be a “Blood Moon” as it undergoes a lunar eclipse, taking on a reddish appearance between 1am EST and 7am EST. The peak of the lunar eclipse takes place at 4:02am EST.
What is a lunar eclipse?
“Blood Moons” receive their nickname as the moon shifts from the more common white to a reddish hue.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon moves into the shadow of Earth, when the moon, Earth and sun are exactly or closely aligned.
As the moon moves into the Earth’s shadow, the moon’s surface begins to darken and eventually a color shift occurs.
Why is it called a “Blood Moon”?
But what is causing this color change?
As the moon moves into Earth’s shadow, the Earth blocks all sunlight from reaching the moon’s surface. The only light that is reaching the moon is light that has traveled through Earth’s atmosphere, which filters out all blue wavelengths and only allows reddish wavelengths to pass through.
As a result, only reddish light is able to travel from Earth to the moon -- which is then reflected back to Earth for us to see.
Atlanta Weather Forecast during the Lunar Eclipse
The eclipse will take place early in the morning Friday, well before sunrise. It will be chilly, but the skies will be mostly clear!
Temperatures will be in the low 40s at 1am, dipping into the upper 30s through the peak of the eclipse. Expect breezy conditions as a Northwest wind gusts 10-15 mph.
Share your photos with us!
If you are a shutter bug with an eye on the sky, we would love to see your photos of the Blood Moon! Share your photos with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
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