The Philippines
is one of the luckiest countries to have witnessed the second of this year’s
total lunar eclipse phenomenon known as the “Blood Moon”. This total lunar
eclipse was visible in Asia, Australia, as well as North and South America.
The astronomical
event is the second in a tetrad, the
term for a series of four consecutive total lunar eclipses in 2014-2015. It was
April 15, 2014 when the first Total Lunar Eclipse occurred which was not
visible in the Philippines, second was just last night (October 8, 2014) which shows
the magnificent reddish moon, the third will be on April 4, 2015 and the
fourth is slated on September 28, 2015.
According
to Jose Mendoza, chief of the
Astronomical Publication Unit of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and
Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the moon rose in Metro
Manila at 5:34 p.m. and the total lunar eclipse began at around 6:25 p.m.
where the moon appeared reddish. The
greatest full lunar eclipse was seen at 6:54 p.m. It has been recorded that it
ended at 9:35 p.m. last night to the amazement of a lot of sky gazers who
witnessed the phenomena.
Total lunar
eclipse happens when the Earth’s shadow blocks the light from the sun that
normally reflects off the moon, which then envelops the moon causing a bright
orange or reddish glow. This happens when the moon, Earth and the sun are
perfectly aligned.
Lunar eclipse is
adhered to lot of myths and folklore around the world particularly here in the Philippines. The Bakunawa, according
to Wikipedia “is a dragon in Philippine
mythology that is
often represented as a gigantic sea serpent, believed to be
the cause of eclipses.”
In America, they call the total lunar
eclipse as “Hunter’s moon" which depicts the start of the hunting season
in preparation for winter.
John Hagee, pastor of a
church and author of “Four Blood Moons:
Something is About to Change,” popularized the term "Blood Moon" to refer
to the “full moons in the lunar tetrad.”
Hagee said that
the tetrad series holds religious significance, particularly because the first
two blood moons align with the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacle although he
said that, “We have been in the end times a long time. Technically, the end
times began with the outpouring of Pentecost 2,000 years ago."
Jessie Corpuz-Dericto,
28 years old is a Freelance Writer, Blogger, Virtual Assistant and a nursing
mom. She is also into news and trends, fashion, photography, painting, sketching
and the roller coaster ride of motherhood. She loves sensible talks, long walks
and activities that will enrich both the mind and soul.
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