On Friday the 14th, the lunar eclipse was visible around 1:30 a.m. in St. Peters, Missouri. Many people often have misconceptions about what the lunar eclipse is, and how it differs from the solar eclipse. In reality, these events are very different from each other, not just in physical looks, but in rarity and reason.
“A solar eclipse is when the planets line up and its Sun, Moon, Earth, but a lunar eclipse is Sun, Earth, Moon,” Earth science teacher James Appleton said.
Beyond just the order of how these planets line up, the lunar eclipse produces a very different outlook than that of the solar eclipse. The Moon being situated behind the Earth results in a far different visual effect than the solar eclipse, where the Moon covers the Sun, blocking all light during the solar eclipse, the Moon being situated behind the Earth during the lunar eclipse leaves it washed in a glowing red tint.
“It’s because the atmosphere, the light that’s reflecting from the Sun, goes through the Earth’s atmosphere,” Appleton said. “Whenever light hits the Moon, that light gets filtered. The blue wavelength gets filtered out because of the nitrogen oxygen gas. They scatter it, they filter it, and the only thing left is the orange pigment. The red wavelengths pass through, and that’s why we see that red coloration.”
Despite the differences in both events, both usually produce the same thoughts, feelings, and overall excitement in people, as seeing such a large phenomenon beyond Earth really puts into perspective the size of the planet. The idea that you’d get to see something that almost never happens and is very limited also aids in this sense of wonder.
“I don’t know, I just like seeing these big events that really show how big the universe is, and it’s just cool to see something that rarely ever happens,” sophomore Riki Stalzer said.
