Sunday’s “Super-Blood Moon” Eclipse — Probably Not the End of the World

On Sunday, September 27th, sailors, as well as landsmen and women who happen to be looking up, will see a total lunar eclipse where the moon will turn a coppery red as it passes through the shadow of the earth. Lunar eclipses are often called “blood moons.” Because the moon is also at this closest point to earth, the moon will also appear to be just slightly larger than normal, often referred to as a “super moon.” This will be the first “Super-Blood” moon since 1982. The next lunar eclipse and super moon together will not happen again until 2033.

The partial lunar eclipse is set to begin at 9:07 p.m. ET and will be visible to most people in the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, according to EarthSky.org. (For a map of where the eclipse will be visible, click here.) The total lunar eclipse begins at 11:11 p.m. ET.

If you can’t get outside, NASA’s live stream will begin at 8 pm EDT from the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama and will also feature a live look from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.

One Evangelical minister, John Hagee, is predicting “a world-shaking event” and just possibly the end of the world associated with Sunday’s blood moon. (His original prediction was that this “event” would take place somewhere between April 2014 and October 2015, so he is about out of time.) Personally, I think the only appropriate response to a prediction that the world will end on Sunday is, “See you Monday.”

Thanks to Phil Leon for contributing to this post.

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