A decades-old astronomical model from NASA is reigniting global debate and belief about one of the most pivotal moments in Christian history. According to researchers from the University of Oxford, the agency’s calculations may help confirm the Biblical account of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, including eerie cosmic signs recorded in scripture.
In the 1990s, NASA used advanced modelling to trace the historical positions of the Earth, moon, and sun. One of its key findings: a lunar eclipse that occurred on Friday, April 3, 33 AD — a date long associated with the crucifixion of Jesus. The eclipse would have been visible in Jerusalem shortly after sunset, and the moon’s position would have given it a deep red hue.
“Christian texts mention that the Moon turned to blood after Jesus’s crucifixion—potentially referring to a lunar eclipse, during which the Moon takes on a reddish hue,” NASA noted, as the research once again went viral on TikTok on Good Friday, the day many Christians commemorate Christ’s death.
Biblical scholars Colin Humphreys and W. Graeme Waddington of Oxford University drew on NASA’s data to suggest that this specific lunar eclipse matches the description of celestial events in Acts 2:20, which states: “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.”
According to the Book of Acts, the apostle Peter quoted this verse fifty days after the crucifixion, which some researchers believe points to his memory of real cosmic events witnessed during Jesus's death.
The verse Peter cited originally comes from the Old Testament’s Book of Joel (Joel 2:28–31): “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.”
Because Joel was written centuries before Jesus’s crucifixion, many scholars interpret Peter’s use of the quote as referring to a fulfilled prophecy, not a future event. Humphreys and Waddington argue that Peter was not prophesying the second coming of Jesus, but declaring that Joel’s words had already been fulfilled.
The Gospel of Matthew 27:45 records a strikingly similar image: “From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.”
The researchers link this moment to Peter’s mention of the sun turning dark, arguing that both point to unusual cosmic events on the day Jesus died. In support of this theory, they also cite a lesser-known source: a passage from the New Testament apocrypha known as the Report of Pilate.
The text reads: “At his crucifixion the sun was darkened; the stars appeared and in all the world people lighted lamps from the sixth hour till evening; the moon appeared like blood.”
Though the apocrypha is not part of the official Biblical canon, Humphreys and Waddington say such accounts add weight to the theory that a lunar eclipse occurred at the crucifixion.
The connection between Jesus’s death and astronomical events continues to shape how Good Friday and Easter are observed. Easter is calculated based on the first full moon following the spring equinox, with Good Friday always falling two days before. This method dates back to early Christian efforts to align the holiday with Jewish Passover, which follows the Hebrew lunar calendar.
According to the Gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the Sunday after Passover, and early Christians wanted to preserve this alignment. As a result, astronomy — and ancient celestial events like the 33AD eclipse — remain deeply tied to the foundations of Christian tradition.
In the 1990s, NASA used advanced modelling to trace the historical positions of the Earth, moon, and sun. One of its key findings: a lunar eclipse that occurred on Friday, April 3, 33 AD — a date long associated with the crucifixion of Jesus. The eclipse would have been visible in Jerusalem shortly after sunset, and the moon’s position would have given it a deep red hue.
“Christian texts mention that the Moon turned to blood after Jesus’s crucifixion—potentially referring to a lunar eclipse, during which the Moon takes on a reddish hue,” NASA noted, as the research once again went viral on TikTok on Good Friday, the day many Christians commemorate Christ’s death.
Biblical scholars Colin Humphreys and W. Graeme Waddington of Oxford University drew on NASA’s data to suggest that this specific lunar eclipse matches the description of celestial events in Acts 2:20, which states: “The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.”
According to the Book of Acts, the apostle Peter quoted this verse fifty days after the crucifixion, which some researchers believe points to his memory of real cosmic events witnessed during Jesus's death.
The verse Peter cited originally comes from the Old Testament’s Book of Joel (Joel 2:28–31): “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.”
Because Joel was written centuries before Jesus’s crucifixion, many scholars interpret Peter’s use of the quote as referring to a fulfilled prophecy, not a future event. Humphreys and Waddington argue that Peter was not prophesying the second coming of Jesus, but declaring that Joel’s words had already been fulfilled.
The Gospel of Matthew 27:45 records a strikingly similar image: “From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.”
The researchers link this moment to Peter’s mention of the sun turning dark, arguing that both point to unusual cosmic events on the day Jesus died. In support of this theory, they also cite a lesser-known source: a passage from the New Testament apocrypha known as the Report of Pilate.
The text reads: “At his crucifixion the sun was darkened; the stars appeared and in all the world people lighted lamps from the sixth hour till evening; the moon appeared like blood.”
Though the apocrypha is not part of the official Biblical canon, Humphreys and Waddington say such accounts add weight to the theory that a lunar eclipse occurred at the crucifixion.
The connection between Jesus’s death and astronomical events continues to shape how Good Friday and Easter are observed. Easter is calculated based on the first full moon following the spring equinox, with Good Friday always falling two days before. This method dates back to early Christian efforts to align the holiday with Jewish Passover, which follows the Hebrew lunar calendar.
According to the Gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the Sunday after Passover, and early Christians wanted to preserve this alignment. As a result, astronomy — and ancient celestial events like the 33AD eclipse — remain deeply tied to the foundations of Christian tradition.
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