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Millions of people have the opportunity to see a lunar eclipse – an event popularly known in the media as a "blood moon" – on Friday, July 27th. Visible to most of the world – only North America and Greenland should miss It's time to take a look.
During such an eclipse, the full moon travels in the shadow of the Earth projected by the sun and is momentarily obscured. . A certain amount of sunlight still reaches the moon, refracted by the atmosphere of the Earth, illuminating it with a reddish glow and dark, color dependent on atmospheric conditions.
As a communicator of astronomy, the term "blood moon" thorns in my side, as it suggests something other than a lunar eclipse and evokes images of the world. 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, since if something 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 that people would shout, shake their spears and scream their dogs screaming, hoping to make enough noise to chase the jaguar.
A lunar eclipse coincides with a so-called "supermoon" seen from St Florence, Tenby, Wales, September 28, 2015. A supermoon occurs when the moon is in the part closest to its orbit to the Earth, which means that it seems bigger in the sky. This phenomenon was last observed in 1982 and will only come back in 2033. Photo by REUTERS / Rebecca Naden
In ancient Mesopotamia, a lunar eclipse was considered a direct assault 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 mandatory king would then conveniently disappear, and the old king would be restored.
Some Hindu tales
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.
In a lunar eclipse, the Earth passes directly between the moon and the sun. Image by NASA
A friendlier face
But not all myths of the eclipse are assaulted 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 asks at once the forgiveness of Allah and reaffirms the greatness of Allah
A misleading story
Returning once again to the blood, Christianity likened lunar eclipses to the wrath of God and often associates them with the crucifixion of Jesus. It is remarkable 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 Jewish holidays, which has only happened three times before – each seemingly marked by bad events.
A lunar eclipse of a full "blue moon" is seen above the ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, California, USA. United, January 31, 2018. Photo by REUTERS / Lucy Nicholson
Prophecy was rejected by Mike Moore (General Secretary of Christian Witness in Israel) in 2014, but the term is still used regularly by the media and has become a synonym disturbing for a lunar eclipse. Given lingering superstitions, it is deeply useless for science communicators to try 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" attracts interest in the sky and lunar eclipses, but rather than waiting for destruction and destruction, we can best see it in the Islamic interpretation – as an illustration monumental fascinating and real movements of our solar system. 19659002] So my suggestion is this: look at 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 the wonder of what you are watching.
This article originally appeared on The Conversation. Read the original article.
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