Thanks for pointing out that the term “Blood Moon” is a recent fad. It sounds dramatic, so the media have latched onto it, even though it has nothing to do with the actual phenomena of an eclipse. If there is less dust in the atmosphere, or if the moon passes more centrally through the shadow of the earth, lunar eclipses can be quite dark with much less color.

Here is a picture I took from Peck Farm where the Fox Valley Astronomical Society viewed and imaged the eclipse. We advertised it on our website as did the Geneva Park District but no members of the public showed up. A pity since you could watch it all the way to the horizon there over the pond. The planet Uranus chanced to be just below the moon and the picture shows it.

By the way, there will be another pair of eclipses next year, with a setting-moon eclipse occurring the morning of April 4, 2015, and an early evening eclipse Sep. 27. If people miss those they’ll have to wait until 2019 to see another lunar eclipse around here. In 2017, there will be a total eclipse of the Sun visible from downstate Illinois. It cuts a patch all the way across the U.S., with the best viewing (longest totality) being in a swath from Missouri to Kentucky.

One last piece of information: There will be partial eclipse of the sun Oct. 23 (that is, in about two weeks). It will be visible here starting around 4:35 p.m. and will be going on through sunset.

We had a similar eclipse in May of 2012. Here is a link picture of what it looked like:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/76076778@N07/7241968234/in/set-72157629704583749

The Oct. 23 eclipse will cover more of the sun than did the 2012 one, just about ½ at around 5:45 PM. Sunset is at 6PM that night.

Like last Wednesday’s lunar eclipse, viewing it will require a good western horizon AND viewing it safely will require a special solar filter.

If the weather is good the Fox Valley Astronomical Society will be viewing it from the north end of the parking lot of the Geneva Park District Recreation Center opposite Peck Farm.

Regards,

Mark Christensen
Fox Valley Astronomical Society