Three More 'Blood Moons' Will Complete Tetrad

Apr 16, 2014 11:24 AM EDT | Jordan Ecarma

The "blood moon" that rose earlier this week was actually the first in a series of four lunar eclipses called a tetrad.

Glowing red due to a total lunar eclipse, the blood moon will come three more times at about six-month intervals, ABC News reported.

NASA says the next eclipse is expected on Oct. 8, and then two more blood moons should be seen on April 4, 2015, and Sept. 28, 2015.

During the April 15 eclipse, the moon wore its reddest hue around 3 a.m.

October's blood moon is expected around 6:25 a.m. Visibility depends on clear skies, and those living on the West Coast will enjoy the best view of the total lunar eclipse.

The moon appears unusually colorful thanks to "the way sunlight bends through the Earth's atmosphere," according to ABC News. During the eclipses, the moon should be bright red or orange for about an hour.

As NASA eclipse expert Fred Espenak noted, this tetrad is especially unusual since all four eclipses in the series can be seen from North America.

Around two lunar eclipses generally occur each year, some of them being partial or penumbral eclipses, which are not nearly as noticeable. Blood moons only glow red due to a total eclipse

The last tetrad occurred in 2004, while the next will be in 2032-2033. Earth will see eight tetrads altogether in this century, The Washington Post's Skywatch reported.    

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