Blood Moon Visible Early Tuesday Morning, Televangelist Points To End of Days

North America will be treated to a spectacular sight Tuesday morning beginning at around 1:00 a.m., when a total lunar eclipse will turn the full moon into a coppery, reddish glowing ball.

ASU Physics Professor Dr. Mark Sonntag says the eclipse will last a couple of hours in totality, the middle of which should occur around 2:00 a.m. A lunar eclipse happens during a full moon when the moon passes through the Earth’s shadow.

“They (eclipses) are repeatable cycles, but it’s not all that common to get a total lunar eclipse, even though they’re visible on the entire night side of the Earth,” he said. “The last one I recall that we could see I think…was about four years ago.”

Sonntag says that there are two times a year when eclipses are possible, known as “eclipse seasons”, when the alignment of the sun, moon and Earth could be in the right plane for a total or partial eclipse to occur. The total lunar eclipse this time around is part of a sequence of four that will occur at six month intervals.

“It’s just a cycle of alignments that have to be just right for that to happen,” he explained. “This particular cycle—there’s no easy way to explain why four in a row now, but it’s easy to understand why they’re visible every six months, because that’s when the alignment of the moon, the Earth and the sun is appropriate for eclipses, both solar and lunar. There are longer cycles of when eclipses reoccur in certain locations. Four of them visible in a row in North America, it’s somewhat unusual, but it’s just a natural, reoccurring cycle.”

The eclipse will be visible from anywhere with a clear view to the sky and the moon will appear to be a dark reddish, copper color, Sonntag said. Also visible early Tuesday morning will be Mars just above the moon, which is also orange in color.

“The moon will look kind of orange in color, too during the lunar eclipse, so it should be pretty spectacular with Mars close to it,” he said.

Several myths and legends surround celestial objects and occurences, and historically, the solar eclipse has been no different. Dr. Sonntag recalls one in particular involving a dragon.

“I remember reading an ancient Chinese legend where there was always a great dragon that is eating the sun, so we have to beat our drums to scare the dragon away,” he said. “Of course it always worked because the eclipse ended, so the dragon was gone. Lunar eclipses, I’m not sure but there is mythology about everything in the sky, so I’m sure there are some.”

Indeed the tetrad—four lunar eclipses occurring in a row—of lunar eclipses has led to some speculation as to the meaning of the Blood Moon series, most popularly by past John Hagee, who views the occurrence as a sign for the end of days.

The following excerpt from USA Today explains Hagee’s philosophy:

...best-selling author and Texas televangelist pastor John Hagee sees the four blood moons as evidence of a future "world-shaking event" that begins to fulfill End Times prophecy.

The controversial 73-year-old founder of Texas' Cornerstone Church says he has been preparing for this tetrad for years. The preparation includes a book — Blood Moons: Something is About to Change and an online TV special Tuesday.

"What is the prophetic significance (of the four blood moons)? Is this the end of the age?" Hagee asked his congregation during a sermon shortly after his book was released, Christianity Today reports.

He cites Acts 2:19-20 as a sign: "And I will show wonders in Heaven above and signs in the Earth beneath, the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord."

Hagee's position on the meaning of the tetrad has become highly controversial, some claiming the end is near, others denouncing any relation whatsoever between the eclipses and biblical prophesy. 

The same article goes on to say, "A spokesman for the televangelist said tells [sic] USA TODAY on Monday that Hagee 'has not associated the blood moons with the end of days.'"