By Amudalat Ajasa, Washington Post

Hours before citizens across the country cast their votes in a contentious midterm election, a sinister red moon will loom in the sky. The last total lunar eclipse of 2022 is set to stain the moon red during the wee hours of Tuesday morning. Residents across both coasts will be able to watch the spectacle for just under 90 minutes.

Total lunar eclipses, commonly known as “blood moons,” happen only during full moons when the Earth completely shields the moon from the sun. Once the sun, Earth, and moon are exactly aligned, light from simultaneous sunrises and sunsets around the Earth projects onto the moon, briefly causing a coppery red coat on the moon’s surface. The more dust or clouds in the Earth’s atmosphere during the eclipse, the redder the moon will appear, according to NASA.

Don’t miss environmental news like this Click for free updates