“Blood moon -- the sequel: It's in the

sky near you”

If you live anywhere in the United States, you had a front-row seat (this morning) for the show -- a lunar

eclipse that turned the moon a burnt reddish orange. The full eclipse started at 6:25 a.m. and lasts until 7:24 a.m.. Because it happens right after the perigee -- that's

when the moon is closest in its orbit to Earth -- this blood moon will be nearly the size of a super moon. This is the second blood moon in a sequence of four. April 4, 2015, is the next one, and last will appear on September 28, 2015. With that frequency, you could be misled into

thinking that blood moons are fairly common. Guess again. There was a 300-year period when there were

none. That would mean that neither Sir Isaac Newton, Mozart, Queen Anne, George Washington, Napoleon,

Abraham Lincoln ever had a chance to see such a sequence. The most unique thing about the 2014-2015 sequence is that all of them are visible for the U.S.A..

Not all will be so lucky. The people of Europe, Africa and the Middle East will not be able to see this blood moon.

In Other NewsIn Other News Two Americans and a German won the Nobel prize in Chemistry this Two Americans and a German won the Nobel prize in Chemistry this

year for their work on optical microscopy that has opened up our year for their work on optical microscopy that has opened up our understanding of molecules by allowing us to see their functions. The understanding of molecules by allowing us to see their functions. The winners are Eric Betzig, Stefan W. Hell and William E. Moerner, the winners are Eric Betzig, Stefan W. Hell and William E. Moerner, the Nobel committee announced Wednesday. Back in 1873, science Nobel committee announced Wednesday. Back in 1873, science believed it had reached a limit in how much more of a detailed believed it had reached a limit in how much more of a detailed picture a microscope could provide. At the time, miscroscopist Ernst picture a microscope could provide. At the time, miscroscopist Ernst Abbe said that we had reached the maximum resolution. This year's Abbe said that we had reached the maximum resolution. This year's winners proved that contention wrong. "Due to their achievements winners proved that contention wrong. "Due to their achievements the optical microscope can now peer into the nanoworld," the the optical microscope can now peer into the nanoworld," the committee said.committee said.

Vietnamese authorities are searching for an oil tanker feared to have Vietnamese authorities are searching for an oil tanker feared to have been taken by pirates just 40 minutes after it departed Singapore for been taken by pirates just 40 minutes after it departed Singapore for Vietnam almost one week ago. The Sunrise 689 was carrying 18 crew Vietnam almost one week ago. The Sunrise 689 was carrying 18 crew and 5,200 tons of oil when it left Singapore's Horizon port on October and 5,200 tons of oil when it left Singapore's Horizon port on October 2, according to the Vietnamese News Service (VNS). The ship's 2, according to the Vietnamese News Service (VNS). The ship's owner, the Hai Phong Seafood Shipbuilding Join Stock Company, owner, the Hai Phong Seafood Shipbuilding Join Stock Company, reported that it lost contact with the ship within an hour of its reported that it lost contact with the ship within an hour of its departure, VNS said.departure, VNS said.