On March 13th to 14th of 2025, a total lunar eclipse occurred, visible to North and South America. It was the first total lunar eclipse visible in Los Angeles since 2022. The eclipse started at 8:56 pm , lasting until to 3:04 am.
8th grade DREAMS student Raul Gonzalez asked “Isn’t it when the moon turns red?”
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon is completely behind the Earth’s shadow. The Sun, Earth, and Moon line up perfectly. The earth’s atmosphere refracts (1) the light emanating (2) from the sun, acting as a prism. The red wavelength remains from the refraction, which is reflected (3) back to us from the moon.
6th grade SEMS student Ayden Zaragoza said “I thought it was pretty cool like how the moon turns to red.”
8th grade DREAMS science teacher Ms. Lacey said, “This one would be called a blood moon, and I was just telling my students that I regret not teaching it or showing it in class because it’s super cool. I did that in the past when I taught cause in 8th grade science we go over like solar systems and space science and stuff.”
The next Lunar Eclipse won’t happen until March 3-4 of 2026.
1) Refracts – To separate or split
2) Emanating – To come from
3) Reflected – To throw back