There’s a lot of apprehension around the US elections on Tuesday: who will triumph in the huge number of narrow political races? Could political violence occur? Will both parties agree to respect the results, or will they claim fraud, like in 2020?
Well, add a lunar eclipse to your list of things to give you worry on Election Day. For the first time in US history, the astronomical event is taking place on the same day as Americans cast their ballots.
For American viewers, the eclipse will be visible in part or in whole early on Tuesday morning, lasting from about 3 a.m. Eastern Time (GMT-5) until roughly 6:41 a.m. For viewers in Australia, New Zealand and Asia, the eclipse will start at 8:09 p.m. Australian Eastern Time (GMT+11) on Tuesday night and last until 10:41 p.m.
That means that just hours later, millions will be going to vote in the US midterm elections, when all 435 members of the US House of Representatives will be elected, along with 33 US senators and numerous state and local-level offices as well. Many key election races are extremely close as Democrats try to defend their majorities amid poor performance by US President Joe Biden, also a Democrat, and Republicans try to convince voters they could do a better job of tackling the country’s pressing issues.
It will be the first US election since November 2020, which was marred by accusations of voter fraud by then-US President Donald Trump, who refused to accept his loss to Biden. That refusal culminated in a violent attack by his followers on the US Congress in January 2021 that killed five people, for which hundreds of people have been charged with serious crimes.
Sometimes dubbed a “blood moon” because of the deep red hue the moon takes on, the incident is nothing more than the moon passing through Earth’s shadow. Because its orbit is slightly oblong, the moon doesn’t always pass directly behind the planet, from the perspective of the sun, but every so often it does, and the results are spectacular.
Enjoy the eclipse while it lasts (which should be about 1 hour and 25 minutes), because the next one won’t be coming until March 13, 2025.