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Millions of people will have the opportunity to see a lunar eclipse – an event popularly known in the media as a "blood moon" – on Friday. Visible to most of the world – only North America and Greenland are expected – it should be the longest of this century, so there is plenty of time to take a look at it .
moves in the shadow of the Earth projected by the sun, and is momentarily darkened. Part of the sunlight still reaches the moon, refracted by the atmosphere of the Earth, illuminating it with a dark red glow, the color depending on the weather conditions.
As a communicator of astronomy, the term "blood moon" is a major spine in my side because it suggests something other than a lunar eclipse and conjures images of a shimmering moon in crimson red colors, which is not at all accurate. But as a cultural astronomer, the phrase shows some of the interesting ways in which modern society creates its sky stories.
Lunar eclipses have fascinated cultures around the world, and inspired many myths and legends, many of which describe the event as an omen. This is not surprising, because if anything interrupts the regular rhythms of the sun or the moon, it has a significant impact on us and our lives.
Lunar Illness
For many ancient civilizations, the "blood moon" came with bad intent. The ancient Inca people interpreted the dark red color as an attacking jaguar and eating the moon. They thought that the jaguar could then focus on the Earth, so people would scream, shake their spears and scream their dogs screaming, hoping to make enough noise to chase the jaguar.
In ancient Mesopotamia, a Moon Eclipse was considered a direct attack on the king. Given their ability to predict an eclipse with reasonable accuracy, they would set up a proxy king for its duration. Someone considered consumable (it was not a popular job), would land as a monarch, while the real king would go to hide and wait for the eclipse to happen. The proxy king would then conveniently disappear and the old king would be restored.
Some Hindu tales interpret lunar eclipses as the result of the Rahu demon drinking the elixir of immortality. Twin deities the sun and the moon quickly decapitate Rahu, but having consumed the elixir, Rahu's head remains immortal. Seeking revenge, Rahu's head pursues the sun and the moon to devour them. If he catches them we have an eclipse – Rahu swallows the moon, which reappears out of his sliced neck.
For many people in India, a lunar eclipse brings bad luck. Food and water are covered and cleaning rituals are performed. Pregnant women in particular should not eat or do housework to protect their unborn child.
A Friendlier Face
But not all myths of the eclipse are assailed by such malice. The Native American tribes Hupa and Luiseño of California believed that the moon was wounded or sick. After the eclipse, the moon would then need healing, either by the women of the moon or by the men of the tribe. The Luiseño, for example, sang and sang healing songs to the darkened moon.
The legend of the Batammaliba people in Togo and Benin in Africa is more exhilarating. Traditionally, they view a lunar eclipse as a conflict between the sun and the moon – a conflict that people must encourage them to resolve. It is therefore time to put an end to old feuds, a practice that has remained to this day
. In Islamic cultures, eclipses tend to be interpreted without superstition. In Islam, the sun and the moon represent a deep respect for Allah, so during an eclipse special prayers are sung, including a Salat-al-khusuf, a "prayer on a lunar eclipse". He claims the forgiveness of Allah and reaffirms the greatness of Allah.
A Deceptive History
Returning once again to blood, Christianity likens lunar eclipses to God's wrath and often associates them with the crucifixion of Jesus. It is noteworthy that Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring, ensuring that an eclipse can never fall on Easter Sunday, a potential mark of the Day of Judgment.
Indeed, the term "blood moon" was popularized in 2013 following the publication of the book Four Blood Moons by Christian Minister John Hagee. It promotes an apocalyptic belief known as the "Blood Moon Prophecy" highlighting a lunar sequence of four total eclipses that occurred in 2014-2015. Hagee notes that all four have fallen on the Jewish holidays, which happened only three times before – each apparently marked by bad events.
The prophecy was rejected by Mike Moore (general secretary of Christian Witness to Israel) in 2014, but the term is still used regularly by the media and has become a worrying synonym for a lunar eclipse.
Given lingering superstitions, it is profoundly useless for science communicators to remind everyone that the so-called "blood moon" is nothing to fear. This can be impressive, and it can be the longest of a century, but it's just an eclipse.
So, using the term "blood moon," we combine superstition with science, just like Rahu's Hindu tale. provides a legendary description of lunar orbital mechanics.
The "blood moon" draws attention to the sky and lunar eclipses, but rather than waiting for destruction and destruction – as a monumental illustration of fascinating movements and real ones of our solar system. So, my suggestion is: observe the lunar eclipse as the sky unfolds above you. Give it your own name, give it your own meaning, and have fun with your friends and family.
And I think you will find that the term "blood moon" can not do justice to what you are looking at
Daniel Brown is a senior lecturer in astronomy at the University of Nottingham Trent . This article was originally published on The Conversation
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