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Why the Moon turns red during a total lunar eclipse

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Whenever you look up at a full moon, you're seeing sunlight that's reflected off the lunar surface. So if something were to block that sunlight, say the Earth, then the moon should disappear from view. But during a total lunar eclipse, when the moon passes through the Earth's shadow, we get a red moon, not a vanishing one. So what's going on? Tech Insider takes a quick trip to the lunar surface.


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The moon will pass under Earth's shadow on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, resulting in a complete lunar eclipse visible from Oceania, the Americas, Asia, and Northern Europe.

Beginning at 4:10 a.m. EST (0810 GMT), the eclipse will last until the moon re-emerges at about 7:49 a.m. EDT (1149 GMT).The complete eclipse, on the other hand, will continue from 5:17 a.m. EST (0917 GMT) until 6:42 a.m. EST (1042 GMT).

Check out how to see the Blood Moon with NASA.

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