My friends and I were hanging out t the Robinsons Central City Walk when my friend Weng commented how beautiful the moon was. Indeed, the sky was cloudless so we get to enjoy the full moon. It was only when I got home and logged in at Facebook that I learned that we are also having a total lunar eclipse and Bacolod City had a clear, cloudless sky to enjoy the full view of the unfolding of this natural phenomenon.
Lunar eclipses happen when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned or are very close to each other with the Earth in the middle blocking the Sun’s rays from reaching the moon.
In the Philippines, there are superstitious beliefs attached to eclipse. It is said that a giant snake or Bakunawa is eating the Moon in a lunar eclipse or the Sun, in case of a solar eclipse. Pregnant women are also prohibited from going outside the house without covering for the head or they risk giving birth to a child with defects.
It’s a sight to behold as the shadow of the Earth slowly blocked off the Moon and the latter turned to red. The moon’s red appearance is due to the refracted sunlight which is refracted through the dust and clouds on the Earth’s atmosphere. Color of longer wavelengths such as red reaches the surface of the moon.
I hope you were able to see the total lunar eclipse last night since we will not see another one until 2014.