RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Night owls across the United States caught a spectacular sight Sunday evening as a “Super Flower Blood Moon” shone down in the midst of a lunar eclipse.
Ryan Goodson, a Virginia resident who runs New Moon Telescopes in Dinwiddie County, managed to capture a series of images that captured every stage of the eclipse – in between intermittent cloud cover that threatened to hide the eclipse from observers in Central Virginia.
Photos captured in Central Virginia show the moon in great detail at every stage of the eclipse. (Photos: Ryan Goodson)
The event has been labelled a “Super Flower Blood Moon” to commemorate three important aspects of the lunar event.
First, a “super” moon because the eclipse occurred during a point in the moon’s orbit when it was closer than usual to earth, making it appear larger in the sky. Then, a “flower” moon in honor of the season – April showers having given way to blooms across the United States.
Finally, a “blood” moon because – well, the photos should make that clear. The red tint was a result of the earth’s shadow passing over the moon.
And despite the striking and sinister appearance, lunar eclipses are actually quite common, happening around two times a year – though they’re not visible everywhere.
Last night’s eclipse was centered on the Atlantic seaboard, but the next lunar eclipse, which will occur on Nov. 8, 2022, will be most visible on the West Coast.
