--- title: Total Lunar Eclipse: Why Is the Blood Moon Red? description: TIME's Jeffrey Kluger explains what makes the Blood Moon lunar eclipse red canonical: https://time.com/62125/blood-moon-lunar-eclipse-cosmic-jaguar/ author: TIME Video article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-04-14T20:25:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T08:52:34.859Z article:section: Science og:title: Total Lunar Eclipse: Why Is the Blood Moon Red? og:description: TIME's Jeffrey Kluger explains what makes the Blood Moon lunar eclipse red og:url: https://time.com/62125/blood-moon-lunar-eclipse-cosmic-jaguar/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfca053a8e8b1e92d/69868aafe53ababc294d20d0/72560509.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Last Lunar Eclipse Until 2007 Reveals "Blood Moon" og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Total Lunar Eclipse: Why Is the Blood Moon Red? twitter:description: TIME's Jeffrey Kluger explains what makes the Blood Moon lunar eclipse red twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfca053a8e8b1e92d/69868aafe53ababc294d20d0/72560509.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Do Blood Moons Occur? > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=bc6ddf47-52f2-4b14-8a07-796f993ee38a&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: How a 'Blood Moon' Happens: TIME Explains [Watch (HLS stream): How a 'Blood Moon' Happens: TIME Explains](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Fq7u3Vlp.m3u8) (1:09)  _Published 2014-04-14. Billions of people will be witness to this year's first '_ by [TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Apr 14, 2014 8:25 PM UTC by [TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/) ## TIME Video Apr 14, 2014 8:25 PM UTC Millions of people will witness this year’s first Blood Moon, a.k.a. total lunar eclipse. Our ancestors had many prophecies surrounding such events. The Maya, for instance, believed that the Blood Moon was caused by a cosmic jaguar swallowing the moon. Others have seen it as a sign the end times are near. Thankfully, science offers its own explanation for the celestial phenomenon. The excitement this time is that the four consecutive and complete lunar eclipses — or the tetrad — occur at approximately six-month intervals and will all be visible over the U.S. this year and next. TIME’s science editor Jeffrey Kluger explains. ## Transcript This evening sky watchers will get a chance to see a total lunar eclipse, one of four that should occur in 2014. But what exactly will they be seeing? A total lunar eclipse occurs when the earth moves between the light of the sun and the moon. Blocking the light that would ordinarily illuminate the moon. The moon isn't blotted out completely, instead it glows in an eerie coppery red. That's because the Earth's atmosphere, which is mostly nitrogen, filters out blue light, allowing only red light through. That makes it was to the moon and gives us what is sometimes called a blood moon. The fact that there is four eclipses this year is actually unusual. And it's particularly unusual since they will all be visible from North America. Before the 20th Century there was a 300 year period where there were no eclipses at all. Tonight's sky show begins at about 2: 00 AM for east coasters, so if you are up late enjoy it. But if you miss it, the next one should be here in a few months. 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