The Super Blood Moon

What an awesome experience!  My family and I had been looking forward to seeing the Super Blood Moon/Lunar Eclipse for the last few weeks.  And although we weren't able to head to the county for a really great view, we still had a great time seeing the eclipse from our home in the city, streetlights and all.

Fortunately, our camera did a wonderful job of picking up the hauntingly beautiful dusky red of the Blood Moon.  This is my favorite picture of the night, captured just after the moon was in total eclipse:

The Super Blood Moon, Sept. 27, 2015.

Did you know that last night's full moon was also called the Harvest Moon?  This term applies to the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox (aka first day of Fall). 

Back to the term "Blood Moon."  This actually seems to be a pretty recent term as applied to total lunar eclipses.  It's easy to see why it's caught on - it's a compelling name, easy to remember, and it describes the reddish hue of the eclipsed moon in a descriptive way.   However, historically, the name "Blood Moon" has more often been used to describe the Hunter's Moon, which is the first full moon after the Harvest Moon.  Theoretically, the Hunter's Moon tends to look more dusky-hued near the horizon than other full moons, therefore earning a descriptive name.