Last night’s spectacular ‘Blood Moon’ was followed by an equally impressive total lunar eclipse.
Last evening’s total lunar eclipse turning an orange red color, grabbed the attention of many star-gazers and conspiracy theorists on this event, where Mars has made its closest approach to the Earth since January 3, 2008.
Coinciding with April’s full moon, this lunar eclipse is the first of four Blood Moons (often called Hunter’s Moon), or red eclipses that will occur between last night and September 2015. The dates for the following eclipses include October 8 of this year, as well as April 4 and September 28, 2015.
Setting in motion a lunar tetrad visible to the human eye in North America, the full moon is darkened by the shadow of the Earth. Just below the moon, Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, was shining a hint of bluish color. The color of the moon changed from a bright white to an orange/red throughout the night.
The religious significance of the Paschal Full Moon is that it’s the first full moon after the spring equinox, determining the date Easter falls on each year. The tetrad dates coincide with Passover and the Jewish observance of Sukkot, which are holidays based on lunar cycles.
Similar to the prediction of impending doom and gloom, when the Mayan calendar was coming to an end, the four Blood Moon eclipses can create trepidation or anticipation of coming significant events, drawing parallels to many historical happenings such as the fall of Constantinople and the founding of the State of Israel.
The red glow became more pronounced as the total lunar eclipse began, lasting from about 1 am until about 4 am.
The Blood Moons, linked with the rare alignment between Mars, Earth and the sun last week, had some conspiracy theorists predicting the second coming of Jesus Christ and a world of impending doom. The King James Bible’s Book of Joel, 2:31, states: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.”
In his book “Four Blood Moons: Something Is About to Change,” author and pastor John Hagee, suggests a link between the new lunar tetrad and a biblical prophecy about the apocalypse.
Another conspiracy theory points to a biblical verse from Revelations 6:12: “There was a great earthquake. The Sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair. The whole Moon turned blood red.”
With no shortage of biblical texts from which to quote, conspiracy theorists and religious zealots alike are looking at the upcoming lunar events with the serious consternation of a man with a long beard dressed in a robe holding a placard that reads, “The End Is Near”.
After the last blood moon rises September 2015, the next tetrad is projected to rise is on April 25, 2032 (if the world makes it that far).
All photos by Marie LeBlanc
You can check out some additional local photos of last night’s lunar event by clicking here.
