What is a “Tetrad of Lunar Eclipses”?
6 October 2014
ATTENTION: There will be a Full Eclipse of the Moon on October 7-8, 2014. This is the
second full eclipse of the moon in a “tetrad.” A tetrad is a series of 4
eclipses of the moon each of which is spaced exactly 6 months apart. The
first eclipse of this tetrad happened on April 14-15, 2014 and got the popular
name “blood moon.” The 3rd eclipse will happen on April 4, 2015.
NOTE: The full
moon on October 7-8, 2014 is traditionally called the “Hunter’s Moon.”
See: What is a “Hunter’s Moon”?
See: What is a “Hunter’s Moon”?
The Short Answer (TSA)
Before we
go:
A lunar
eclipse happens when the earth comes between the sun and moon. The earth
literally casts a shadow directly on the moon. Considering the speed of
the moon, the shadow steals over the moon suddenly. The whole process can
be over in less than two hours. A lunar eclipse always happens at the
time of the full moon, so the sudden darkening of the moon stands out.
What’s a
“tetrad?” Tetrad means “four” of something. There are some good definitions of a “tetrad”
of lunar eclipses, but some definitions make the whole thing sound more
complicated than it is. The “tetrad,”
refers to four eclipses of the moon evenly spaced apart in time. Between each of the four, there must be
exactly six full moons, but no eclipses.
The first
of the four happened on April 14-15, 2014.
After this
last lunar eclipse, in April, there were six full moons. Six.
No more. No less. None of
the last six full moons were eclipsed.
But, during this, the 7th full moon, there will be another eclipse --
the second full lunar eclipse of the tetrad.
That one is just about to happen -- October 7-8, 2014.
Two
eclipses down. Two more to go.
After the
October eclipse, again, there will be six full moons, but none with an
eclipse. Then, on April 4, 2015, there
will be a 7th full moon and the third full lunar eclipse of the tetrad.
And you can
probably guess where this is going.
After the
April 2015 eclipse, there will be another six full moons with no eclipses. Then, on September 28, 2015, there will a 7th
full moon and the fourth full lunar eclipse, which will be the last of the
tetrad.
Again,
what’s special about the tetrad is the timing:
Four lunar eclipses evenly spaced apart.
Between each of the four eclipses are exactly 6 full moons.
But
something else made the last eclipse (the first the tetrad) special. The eclipsed moon got a new name: “Blood Moon.”
As near as
I can tell, this is the first time anyone has called an eclipse of the moon by
the name “Blood Moon.” But considering that the eclipsed moon always
appears to be dark red, maybe “Blood Moon” isn’t such a bad name.
Lunar Eclipse or Blood Moon
But if
you’ve never seen the moon eclipsed before, you’ll be surprised to find out
that, when the earth casts a shadow on the moon, the darkened part of the moon
doesn’t disappear. You can see it. And it appears to be a dark red.
I’ve been
an amateur astronomer for years, but I’d never heard the term “blood moon”
before. I know it sounds old and
mythological or like something from an ancient legend, but the “Blood
Moon” is something new.
Or, at
least, it was. “Blood Moon” became such
a popular name during the April eclipse, that, now, everybody’s calling this
second eclipse of the tetrad a “blood moon.”
I searched and found that a Christian pastor, John Hagee,
may have started the ball rolling when he wrote a book describing the eclipses
of this tetrad as the “Blood Moons.” (Four
Blood Moons: Something is About to Change) Maybe that’s why the term first popped
up. Apparently, the moon is supposed to turn blood red just before the
end of time.
I, for one,
hope that we’re not all heading for our “final” three eclipses. But, one
way or another, mark you calendars:
1st Eclipse: April 14-15, 2014
2nd Eclipse: October 7-8, 2014
3rd Eclipse: April 4, 2015
4th Eclipse: September 28, 2015
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