When the moon is obscured, we experience a lunar eclipse. This is the most common and observable kind, but when the sun is obscured, that is a solar eclipse. It is the most dramatic, for not only can darkness fall at noon but it becomes very still.
Lunar Eclipse
During a lunar eclipse, the earth blocks out the rays of the sun which normally cause us to say that the moon is shining.
The darkening of the usually bright moon is due to Earth’s shadow covering it. The sun, earth and moon are aligned in
such a straight path that only the rays of light coming from the sun that make it past the earth get to shine on the
moon’s surface. These are filtered through our atmosphere which is full of tiny bits of matter. As in the case of a
beautiful red sunset, it is because of this pollution that we may see the light, which is bounced back to our eyes by the
particles, as red.
During a lunar eclipse, people familiar or not with the facts of astronomy and optics, tend to say that the moon has
”turned red.”
According to Tibetan Buddhist practice, effects of actions are multiplied by a factor of 1,000 during a lunar eclipse.
Om Mani Padme Hung!~~
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