India, March 14 -- A rare "blood moon" total lunar eclipse is now visible in parts of the United States. The celestial event began just before midnight EDT and will be visible until the early hours of Friday morning. Social media is buzzing as stargazers share beautiful images and videos of the red moon.

The phenomenon known as a "blood moon" occurs during a total lunar eclipse, when the sun, Earth, and moon align in a straight line. As sunlight passes through Earth's atmosphere, it is refracted, and the longer wavelengths, such as red, are scattered. These wavelengths then reflect off the moon, giving it a reddish hue.

According to NASA, the red appearance is a result of Rayleigh scattering, a natural process that also explains why the...