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A spring tide is a common historical term that has nothing to do with the season of spring. Rather, the term is derived from the concept of the tide "springing forth." Spring tides occur twice each lunar month all year long without regard to the season. Neap tides, which also occur twice a month, happen when the sun and moon are at right angles to each other.

Tides are long-period waves that roll around the planet as the ocean is "pulled" back and forth by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun as these bodies interact with the Earth in their monthly and yearly orbits.

During full or new moons-which occur when the Earth, sun, and moon are nearly in alignment-average tidal ranges are slightly larger. This occurs twice each month. The moon appears new (dark) when it is directly between the Earth and the sun. The moon appears full when the Earth is between the moon and the sun. In both cases, the gravitational pull of the sun is "added" to the gravitational pull of the moon on Earth, causing the oceans to bulge a bit more than usual. This means that high tides are a little higher and low tides are a little lower than average.

These are called spring tides, a common historical term that has nothing to do with the season of spring. Rather, the term is derived from the concept of the tide "springing forth." Spring tides occur twice each lunar month all year long, without regard to the season.

Seven days after a spring tide, the sun and moon are at right angles to each other. When this happens, the bulge of the ocean caused by the sun partially cancels out the bulge of the ocean caused by the moon. This produces moderate tides known as neap tides, meaning that high tides are a little lower and low tides are a little higher than average. Neap tides occur during the first and third quarter moon, when the moon appears "half full."

NOAA's tide and tidal current predictions take into account astronomical considerations due to the position of the moon and the sun.

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national oceanic and atmospheric administration

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Tides are long-period waves that roll around the planet as the ocean is "pulled" back and forth by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun as these bodies interact with the Earth in their monthly and yearly orbits.

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A Total Solar Eclipse Leaves a Nation in Awe (Published 2017)

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A total eclipse that crossed the sky from Oregon to South Carolina brought out throngs of spectators, who exulted in seeing the midday sky go briefly dark.

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Lunar eclipses happen when Earth positions itself between the sun and the moon, casting a shadow across the lunar surface.

They can only occur during a and are a popular event for skywatchers worldwide as they do not require any specialist equipment to enjoy (unlike solar eclipses).

In 2023, Earth will experience two lunar eclipses. The first lunar eclipse of 2023 was a penumbral lunar eclipse on May 5 and was visible across parts of Africa, Asia and Australia. The second and final lunar eclipse of 2023 will be a partial lunar eclipse on October 28 and will be visible across parts of E. Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia To find out when, where and how to see this year's lunar eclipses, check out our lunar eclipses 2023 guide.
Related: Night sky guide, what you can see tonight
What are lunar eclipses?

A lunar eclipse is caused by Earth blocking sunlight from reaching and creating a shadow across the lunar surface.

The sun-blocking Earth casts two shadows that fall on the moon during a lunar eclipse: The umbra is a full, dark shadow, and the penumbra is a partial outer shadow.

1. Total lunar eclipse: Earth's shadow is cast across the entire lunar surface.

2. Partial lunar eclipse: During a partial lunar eclipse, only part of the moon enters Earth's shadow, which may look like it is taking a "bite" out of the lunar surface. Earth's shadow will appear dark on the side of the moon facing Earth. How much of a "bite" we see depends on how the sun, Earth and moon align, according to NASA.

3. Penumbral lunar eclipse: The faint outer part of Earth's shadow is cast across the lunar surface. This type of eclipse is not as dramatic as the other two and can be difficult to see.

(Image credit: Future)

There are three types of lunar eclipses depending on how the sun, Earth and moon are aligned at the time of the event.

What happens during a lunar eclipse?

Why does the moon turn red during an eclipse?

During a total lunar eclipse, the lunar surface turns a rusty red color, earning the nickname " blood moon". The eerie red appearance is caused by sunlight interacting with Earth's atmosphere.

When sunlight reaches Earth, our atmosphere scatters and filters different wavelengths. Shorter wavelengths such as blue light are scattered outward, while longer wavelengths like red are bent - or refracted - into Earth's umbra, according to the Natural History Museum. When the moon passes through Earth's umbra during a total lunar eclipse, the red light reflects off the lunar surface, giving the moon its blood-red appearance.

"How gold, orange, or red the moon appears during a total lunar eclipse depends on how much dust, water, and other particles are in Earth's atmosphere" according to NASA scientists. Other atmospheric factors such as temperature and humidity also affect the moon's appearance during a lunar eclipse.

How often do lunar eclipses happen and how long do they last?

In astronomical terms, a lunar eclipse is a relatively common phenomenon, with about three lunar eclipses occurring every year, according to the National History Museum. Approximately 29% of lunar eclipses are total lunar eclipses, according to TimeandDate.com.

A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse.

A total eclipse can be seen from any given location - on average - once every 2.5 years.

A lunar eclipse usually lasts a few hours according to the National Weather Service with totality (the duration of total obscuration of the moon) ranging between 30 minutes to over an hour.

Lunar eclipses are more easily observed than solar eclipses, as they can be viewed with the unaided eye by any observer situated where the moon is above the horizon.

(Image credit: NASA/JPL-via Kieth Burns)

(Reminder: Never look directly at the sun, even during a total solar eclipse, without protection such as verified eclipse glasses; serious and permanent eye damage can result.)

How to see a lunar eclipse

(Image credit: NASA)

Lunar eclipses are among the easiest skywatching events to observe.

To watch one, you simply go out, look up and enjoy. You don't need a telescope or any other special equipment. However, binoculars or a small telescope will bring out details on the lunar surface - moonwatching is as interesting during an eclipse as it is at any other time. If the eclipse occurs during winter, bundle up if you plan to be out for the duration - an eclipse can take a couple of hours to unfold. Bring warm drinks and blankets or chairs for comfort.

Scientists like to watch lunar eclipses, too.

"We can get really good science out of what happens to the surface of the moon during total lunar eclipses, but again, the cool thing is that the moon changes color," Noah Petro, a research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, told Space.com. "It's something fun to see - it's benign, but it's a change. And anytime we see [a] change in the skies, it's always kind of exciting."

If you hope to snap a photo of a lunar eclipse, here's our guide on How to photograph a lunar eclipse with a camera. And if you need imaging equipment, our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography have recommendations to make sure you're ready for the next eclipse.

What is a total lunar eclipse?

Why do lunar eclipses occur?

What's the difference between a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse?

Lunar eclipse FAQs answered by an expert

We asked meteorologist Joe Rao, a few commonly asked questions about lunar eclipses.

Additional resources

Learn more about lunar phases and eclipses with NASA Science. Explore Hanwell Community Observatory's fact sheet for more lunar eclipse information. Discover why we don't have a lunar eclipse every month with the Rice Space Institute at Rice University.

Bibliography

NASA. Blood Red Moon: Total Lunar Eclipse. NASA. Retrieved May 10, 2022,

O'Callaghan, J. (2019, July 16). Lunar eclipse guide: What they are, when to see them and where. Natural History Museum. Retrieved May 10, 2022.

NASA. ( 2017, May 3). What is an Eclipse? NASA. Retrieved May 10, 2022.

Hocken, V., Kher, A. Total Lunar Eclipse. timeanddate.com. Retrieved May 10, 2022.

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What are lunar eclipses and how do they occur?

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Lunar eclipses occur when Earth blocks the sun and casts a shadow over the surface of the moon. We explore the different types of lunar eclipses here.

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There are eight distinct phases every month, four of them occurring roughly a week apart.

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How Tides are Formed - Low, High, Neap, Spring Tide | Geography UPSC IAS

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Solar Eclipse | The Dr. Binocs Show | Educational Videos For Kids

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Lunar Eclipse | The Dr. Binocs Show | Educational Videos For Kids

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Phases of the Moon: Astronomy and Space for Kids - FreeSchool

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these happen when there is a 1st q or 3rd q these tides don't change as drastically much a spring tides do.

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these tides happen during a full and or new moon. these tides are larger than neap tides they go almost all the way up the beach and when it is low tide it is supper low.

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solar eclipse happen when
the moon is in between the
earth and the sun and it cast a shadow on the earth and blocks the moon

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A lunar eclipse is when the moon is behind the earth and the earth cast a shadow on it and it goes completely balck

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in the phases of the moon it is a 29.5 day cycle. it will start on a new moon. when it is half way done the will be a new moon called a full moon.