Newswise — A rare "super blood moon" - which for centuries was hailed as a ominous sign possibly signaling the end of the world - will be visible in the U.S. night time sky Sept. 27th.
It is a rare occurrence because its happened only four times in the last 115 years, the last being in 1982. A "super blood moon" only happens during a lunar eclipse and only when the moon is at its closest point to the Earth for the year.As the the Moon passes into the shadow of Earth, it takes on a deep red color due to the only sunlight reaching it being refracted through Earth’s atmosphere. Civilizations throughout the ages look at this celestial rarity as a sign of the apocalypse.
The University of Louisville is one of the few universities in the United States to house an on-campus planetarium and Dr. Tom Tretter, director of Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium is available for interviews to discuss the science and historic myths surrounding this astronomical anomaly.
He can be contacted at 504-693-6146 or via email at [email protected].
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