Early Tuesday morning, March 3rd, Earth experienced a total lunar eclipse.

This event happens when the Earth directly intercepts the sun and moon, casting a shadow across the moon. It occurred from 12:44 am to 6:23 am Pacific time, peaking at 3:04 am for about an hour.

Here’s the science behind this phenomenon: The Earth slips into the moon’s shadow, causing the red and orange wavelengths to pass through our atmosphere and reach the moon. Shorter wavelengths, like blue or indigo, are scattered outwards. The moon appears reddish-orange or the color of blood, giving it the name “blood moon”.

Lexi Robinson, a student at CdM, watched the lunar eclipse that took place a few days ago. She described what she saw as “really orange”. She said, “I turned down the contrast so you could see it better,” referring to her picture that is attached above.

Only 2% of the world’s population was able to see it, and Southern California was lucky to be a part of it. USA Today reported that, “over North America, parts of South America, East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific [will be able to see the eclipse]. If you live in the western United States, including Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington, you’ll be able to see the lunar eclipse’s peak totality.”

The next lunar eclipse will be a deep partial eclipse, visible overnight from August 27-28 this year. Because it’s a partial eclipse, only part of the moon enters Earth’s shadow.  Space.com reported that “It will be visible across the Americas as well as parts of Europe and Africa.”

Lunar eclipses are beautiful to witness; however, incredibly early in the morning. It’s something to experience at least once in your life. So set your alarms and get ready for August’s partial eclipse in case you missed this one!