blood moon

noun

variants or Blood Moon

plural blood moons or Blood Moons

: a full moon that coincides with a full lunar eclipse and that has an unusually reddish appearance

Note: The red color of a blood moon is caused by the diffusion of the sun's light into the shadow cast by the Earth.

And when it [the full moon] is eclipsed by the shadow of the Earth, it is called a blood moon as it turns a crimson color.—

IFLSCIENCE.com (London)

Through the little windows over the deep double kitchen sink, I saw a big sliver of blood moon sinking below the distant mountains.—

David Erik Nelson

also : a full lunar eclipse during which a blood moon occurs

A blood moon is the unscientific name for a total lunar eclipse, which is when Earth passes in between the sun and the moon, casting a shadow over the moon as sunlight is blocked. —

BreakingNews.ie

Examples of blood moon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Three lunar spectacles combined Tuesday night for an epic viewing experience for Texas stargazers: a super harvest moon, a blood moon, and a partial lunar eclipse. —

Ariana Garcia, Chron, 18 Sep. 2024 During a total lunar eclipse, Earth’s shadow can turn the moon’s surface a striking red color, which is known as a blood moon, according to NASA. —

Ashley Strickland, CNN, 17 Sep. 2024 During a lunar eclipse, the Earth’s shadow partially blocks the sun’s light from reaching the moon, giving it a reddish appearance often referred to as a blood moon. —

Anna Gordon, TIME, 17 Sep. 2024 After last month brought space enthusiasts a blue supermoon, September’s harvest moon will not only coincide with a supermoon, but also with a blood moon and partial lunar eclipse. —

Chandelis Duster, NPR, 16 Sep. 2024 That phenomenon often creates a striking reddish hue known as the blood moon. —

The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024 In November 2022, some ultraconservative Christian pastors said the approaching blood moon lunar eclipse portended a surge of Republican midterm wins. —

Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2024 The last blood moon occurred in November 2022, and the next one won't occur until March 2025, according to Space.com. —

Carlie Procell, The Courier-Journal, 25 Jan. 2024 Despite being titled Paint My Bedroom Black, Holly Humberstone’s full-length debut is an amalgamation of flashing colors, moving from cerulean blue to super blood moon orange at hyper-speed. —

Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blood moon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.