Early birds will see a rare event as they head out to the daily grind Wednesday morning.
Not only will they get the worm, but will be treated to a sight seen only once in a blue moon.
The event will be the last lunar eclipse of the year and will actually make the moon look red, not blue.
According to USA Today the best time for people in our time zone, Central, to see the rare occurrence will be at 5:25 a.m.
A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth passes in front of the moon relative to the sun. As the sunlight passes through the Earth’s atmosphere it is reflected onto the surface of the moon as a reddish tint.
It’s interesting to think that centuries ago regular occurrences such as these were thought of as an omen of either good or, most of the time, bad. These events also denoted any number of coming punishments.
The punishments could be a drought, poor crops or disease.
Fortunately science has proven that these events have occurred many times in the past, and will continue to do so in the future. Observations over the centuries have led to a knowledge that eclipses are now predicted with accuracy years in advance.
So while it’s great to know that my tiny crop of jalapenos on the front porch won’t suffer any ill affects from the moon turning red, it would be even more enjoyable to set my alarm for an early hour to be able to view and possibly photograph this event.
But, most likely I will just sleep until my typical time and watch the event on an Internet video. I know, it’s not the same.
For those interested in taking a picture keep a tripod handy. Or if you just want to look at the lunar eclipse a set of binoculars or telescope would serve you well.
The next lunar eclipse will take place on April 4 of next year.