Lunar Sabbath
a time tested tradition

    January 1 BC Eclipse

    Very High Level 1

    Fact

    Total lunar eclipse on January 10, 1 BC - blood-red moon for 1 hour 39 minutes

    Evidence

    • NASA Five Millennium Catalog confirms the eclipse parameters

    • Total eclipse (umbral magnitude 1.338) vs partial eclipse of March 4 BC (magnitude 0.355)

    • Moon rose already eclipsed over Jerusalem - highly visible event

    • Blood-red totality lasted 1 hour 39 minutes - memorable sign

    • 4 BC eclipse occurred at 3 AM with only 36% coverage - easily missed

    Supporting Facts

    Astronomical Stability Very High

    Read in Context

    • The Eclipse Evidence

      "NASA's Five Millennium Catalog of Lunar Eclipses lists a deep total eclipse on the night of 10 January 1 BC..."

    Depends On

    Celestial Stability Very High Astronomical Stability Very High

    Required By

    Herod's Death Very High

    Josephus mentions only one lunar eclipse in his entire twenty-one volumes of history, placing it at Herod's death. The January 1 BC eclipse is far more consistent with his dramatic description than the partial 4 BC eclipse.