Harvest Moon: One World Same Gender Marriage

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Catch some blankets and hope for clear skies — May 15-16th of 2022 marks the appointment of the adjacent total lunar eclipse, and this one volition last almost a full hour and a half. If you've never seen a lunar eclipse before, it'due south an exciting prospect…to those of us living in mod times at least. While many intrepid stargazers present relish the opportunity to view ane of these astronomical events, ancient cultures didn't always look upon them too fondly.

Today we know today that a lunar eclipse happens when the Earth moves into a position straight between the moon and the lord's day, which causes the sun's light to cast Earth's shadow over the moon's surface, darkening the moon in the process. But to aboriginal cultures, the sight of a lunar eclipse was far more alarming — and ofttimes resulted in the creation of unique legends to explain what was going on in the sky. As you're prepping for this year's event, cheque out some of the myths that sprang up as various groups sought to unravel the meaning of lunar eclipses throughout history.

When Lurking Jaguars and Hangry Pets Assault

For ancient populations that counted on the anticipated patterns of the night sky to provide their lives with structure, the appearance of a lunar eclipse was null to be taken lightly. During an eclipse, the moon tends to plow an eerie shade of red, leading to the popular term "blood moon." As a result, different cultures used colorful myths to explain what was going on with the moon during lunar eclipses.

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The Incas, for instance, placed the arraign squarely on a giant solar jaguar that was believed to attack the moon and cause it to bleed, creating its sinister scarlet glow. Luckily for the moon, the Incas had its back. Whenever the jaguar attacked, they shook spears at the moon, encouraged their dogs to bawl and fabricated as much noise as possible in order to drive the jaguar away before it started directing its hostility toward Earth.

To the Hupa Native American tribe of California, the moon held a bit more blame for the situation. According to Hupa legends, the moon had many exotic pets and wives, and it was responsible for taking care of them all by providing sustenance. Whenever it failed to adequately feed its pets (many of which were snakes and mountain lions) the animals attacked and caused the moon to drain — again, explaining the red coloration during an eclipse. Eventually, later on allowing the animals to exact a bit of penalization, the moon's wives stepped in and put a end to the carnage before nursing the moon back to health.

Hindus have a myth from a text chosen the Mahabharata that identifies a demon named Rahu equally the culprit behind both solar and lunar eclipses. According to the tale, the situation began long ago when the gods recruited a group of demons to assist them mash an elixir of immortality.

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The deal they made was that, in exchange for the demons' help, the gods would share the elixir when it was done. The sun and moon were but a few of the byproducts of the elixir'south creation process, which was ultimately a success. But when the time came to requite the demons their share, the god Vishnu decided to unleash a few tricks first.

Disguising himself as a woman, Vishnu seduced the demons and stole their doses of the elixir. A demon called Rahu, all the same, decided he wouldn't allow himself to be outsmarted then hands. Rahu stole abroad into the gods' campsite and managed to accept a gulp of the elixir. Unfortunately, the sun and moon saw, and they tattled to Vishnu — who promptly cut off Rahu's head.

Given that he had already consumed the elixir, the beheaded Rahu didn't die. He vowed revenge on the sun and moon for squealing on him, and to this day he continually chases them both effectually the heaven. Occasionally he manages to swallow one or the other, thus producing the effect of an eclipse. Fortunately for the dominicus and moon — and because Rahu is merely a head — they're ultimately able to slip back out through his severed neck once he swallows.

Bad Moon on the Rise

Lunar eclipse predictions aren't limited to the superstitions of ancient populations — they've also cropped up even within the past decade. In 2014, an evangelical preacher named John Hagee attracted media attention when he announced that the end of the world was nigh due to what became known as the "Claret Moon Prophecies."

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Hagee first introduced his theories in his 2013 volume Four Claret Moons: Something Is Nearly to Change. His predictions called upon several Biblical prophecies that betoken to lunar eclipses as signs of the finish of times. Examples include:

"The sun volition plow into darkness, and the moon into blood before the bully and terrible twenty-four hours of the Lord comes." – Joel 2:31 (NIV)
"The sun volition be turned to darkness and the moon to blood earlier the coming of the cracking and glorious day of the Lord." –Acts two:20 (NIV)
"I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood cherry-red…" – Revelations six:12 (NIV)

Hagee'south theory revolved effectually a detail series of consecutive lunar eclipses that vicious on dates throughout the period between April 2014 and September 2015. What made these particular eclipses notable, he argued, was the fact that they all fell on Jewish holidays. Only despite solidifying his reputation for antisemitism, Hagee's warnings didn't go unnoticed, and many people took them seriously. His book shot to the No. iv spot in the advice section of the New York Times all-time seller listing, suggesting nosotros're yet non immune to the allure of a adept moon-related conspiracy.

Here'south How to View the Lunar Eclipse on May xv-16th

Gear up to run into this lunar consequence with your own optics? The 85-infinitesimal eclipse tin be seen in its entirety by folks in the Eastern Usa and Canada, as well as anyone in South America. But fifty-fifty if you lot aren't in those areas you should still have some good viewing opportunities — equally long as the clouds cooperate and make themselves scarce. Timeanddate.com has prepped a helpful guide, along with some companion maps and animations, detailing the when, where and how to best encounter the eclipse in action. But if you're non in the directly path of the lunar shadow (or have no plans to wake upwardly early enough to spot it), fret not; the site also plans to livestream the event for skywatchers effectually the globe.

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Ane of the beautiful things most these lunar eclipses is that yous don't need much in the way of supplies to grab a glimpse of the moon in all its ruby-red-red celebrity. Unlike a solar eclipse, special glasses aren't necessary, and you won't fifty-fifty need binoculars or a telescope; withal, these tools can give you a more up-close-and-personal view and assist y'all better come across the moon's color changes. If y'all don't mind adventuring a scrap to enjoy the best visibility, you may want to head to a higher summit — and to a spot that'due south open, like a field or pasture. You lot're less likely to come across clouds in that location, and your view should remain relatively unobstructed.