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Dark Sky Park: Mars

Early next Tuesday morning there will be a Total Eclipse of the Moon. It will peak, or “achieve totality”, at about 3 am. At that moment the moon will be on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. As the moon moves through the deepest part of Earth’s shadow, it will appear reddish-brown to the eye. This is the first Full Moon of the Spring season, known as the Vernal Full Moon. At Equinox the Sun returns to the northern hemisphere, sometimes called the celestial hemisphere, and at this first Full Phase, the moon finally crosses to the southern hemisphere. This ‘trading of places’ between Sun and Moon is a significant event in many religions. In the Jewish tradition, the Vernal Full Moon marks the time for the week-long  celebration of the Passover, which marks the passing over of the angel of death. In the Christian Calendar, the Vernal Full Moon is used to determine the correct date for observing the resurrection festival of Easter. In each of these traditions, the Moon is related to the dark forces that must be overcome. The tradition of celebrating the overcoming of the dark by the light is rooted in the actual position of Sun and Moon during this Vernal Full Moon phase each year, because these two lights have traded places in the northern and southern regions of the sky. At every Full Phase, the Moon reflects the light of Sun and cosmos toward Earth, but because this year’s Vernal Full Moon is eclipsed, it will cast our own shadow back to us. This has given rise to stories about ‘blood moons’ and references to biblical prophecy and the end of days.