A Blood Moon In the Southwest

A blood moon refers to the phases of totality during a total lunar eclipse, when the full moon passes through the umbra of the Earth's shadow. The image below shows the workings of the Sun's rays as they pass through the atmosphere. If you were standing on the Moon, you'd see a solar eclipse, when Earth covers the Sun.

Illustration of the works of the reddish shadow. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Business Insider

The weather forecast was not friendly, so I got in the car and drove about two hours southwest towards Las Vegas to find a clear patch of sky. Going through the Virgin River Gorge is an easy and beautiful drive, especially in the daytime.

I found a spot off the Valley of Fire exit, with the light dome from Las Vegas on the horizon nearby. From here, it's only 45 minutes to the oxygen-pumped casino floors and the sounds of great wins and soft despairs when the cards don't go your way.

It was a bit hazy, but I could start to see the umbra take a bite out of the full moon around 10:20 PM local time (PDT). It is always such a spectacle to look up and see the celestial mechanics at work. You can still see a bit of the moisture in the air. All photographs were taken with my Sony AR7iii and a 600mm telephoto lens.

Maybe 20%. 1/400 seconds.

About 70%, with 40 minutes to go.

Here is a picture of the Pleiades Open Star Cluster, the Seven Sisters or Subaru. It is one of the closest open clusters, roughly 440 light years away. It was in the opposite direction of the Moon.

Totality or the Blood Moon, 2 seconds exposure. The stars in the top right, starting at the 12 o'clock position to the 3 o'clock position, are HD100822 and 89 Leo. HD100456.

Science: Why does the Moon have a little white hat during totality?

Answer: Well, it depends, but even when the Moon is in the center of the Umbra, there can be a little spot left that is not 100% reddish. The "white hat" appearance on the Moon during a total lunar eclipse is not a scientifically recognized phenomenon. It may refer to a specific visual effect observed at the edges of Earth's shadow on the Moon's surface. This could be due to the Earth's atmosphere refracting sunlight differently during the eclipse caused by scattered light effects and atmospheric variability. I will look at some other pictures online and compare them to mine.

The tail end of the eclipse.

And just like that, after driving roughly four hours roundtrip, the Blood Moon of March 13, 2025, is behind us as Moon and Earth continue their everlasting celestial dance. I am always in awe when eclipses happen. They helped shape my life and passion after all. When they are over, I always wonder why these events happen so fast and why there is no way to hold on to anything. The insight is that everything is impermanence, a concept in Budddhism termed annica. Impermanence is a foundational concept in Buddhism that all phenomena — including our bodies and thoughts — are subject to change, decay, and death. Nothing has a permanent, solid core. The law of karma is a system of cause and effect, like the laws of nature that govern our place in and interaction with the cosmos. Some of the best illustrations in Buddhism of this concept is a mandala or, if you are a kid, building a sand castle, big and beautiful, that is being washed away by the high tide, which is amplified by the moon. There you have it.

These are thoughts to ponder at 2 AM, sprinkled with a lack of sleep.

A partial solar eclipse on March 29th will occur in the Northeast, Cabada and Greenland, Iceland, and parts of Europe.

Partial Solar Eclipse and heat map for coverage. Maximum coverage will be roughly 92%. Credit: timeanddate.com