Cool Moon Facts by Whip

Real astronomy, with sources. Folklore & tradition.

Fact #053 Observing

A totally eclipsed Moon turns red because it's lit by every sunrise and sunset on Earth at once.

Earth's shadow isn't truly black: our atmosphere bends and filters sunlight into it, stripping out blue. Standing on the Moon during a lunar eclipse you'd see Earth as a black disc ringed by a thin red glow, the whole planet's terminator, all its dawns and dusks, lighting the ground around you.

Source: NASA eclipse resources (opens in a new tab) · checked Aug 2026

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