WATCH OUT FOR THE BLOOD MOON

There is a total eclipse of the moon on the night of September 27/28, 2015. It happens to be the closest supermoon of 2015. It’s the Northern Hemisphere’s Harvest Moon , or full moon nearest the September equinox. It’s the Southern Hemisphere’s first full moon of spring. This September full moon is also called a Blood Moon, because it presents the fourth and final eclipse of a lunar tetrad : four straight total eclipses of the moon, spaced at six lunar months (full moons) apart. Phew! The total lunar eclipse is visible from the most of North America and all of South America after sunset September 27. From eastern South America and Greenland, the greatest eclipse happens around midnight September 27-28. In Europe, Africa and the Middle East, the total eclipse takes place in the wee hours of the morning, after midnight and before sunrise September 28. A partial lunar eclipse can be seen after sunset September 27 from western Alaska, or before sunrise September 28 in far-western Asia. When this happens,it is common for people to begin to speculate about the end times. It does not portend the end of the world as it has happened before and definitely will happen again in years or decades to come. There is actually no need to panic.