Night owls and star-gazers alike will be in for a celestial treat this week.
A total lunar eclipse is set to grace the skies late Thursday night and early Friday morning, featuring a ‘blood worm moon’ where the moon will illuminate a dusty red hue. The astronomical event will be visible from North America and South America, with visibility also possible in parts of Africa and Europe. This will be the first total lunar eclipse in three years.
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So, when are the best times to see it in our neck of the woods and what can you expect? Here’s a look at everything you need to know.
What time will it happen?
Set to begin at 11:57 p.m. on Thursday, the total lunar eclipse will reach its peak at 2:58 a.m. on Friday and will conclude by 6 a.m. So, it’ll last about six hours and we don’t anticipate cloud cover being an issue, although it could be partly cloudy.
- 11:57 p.m. Shadow eclipse begins: During this phase, the moon will enter the outer, fainter part of the Earth’s shadow, also known as the penumbra. You’ll notice the moon start to dim, but it’ll be a subtle difference.
- 1:09 a.m. Partial eclipse begins: The moon will begin to enter the dark, inner part of the Earth’s shadow where all direct sunlight is blocked. NASA explains: “To the naked eye, as the Moon moves into the umbra, it looks like a bite is being taken out of the lunar disk.”
- 2:58 a.m. Peak (Greatest eclipse): At this point, the entire moon is in the Earth’s shadow, causing the moon to be a tinted coppery red.
- Tip: Interested in grabbing a photo? NASA recommends using a camera on a tripod with exposures of at least several seconds.
- 4:47 a.m. Partial eclipse ends: The whole moon is in Earth’s penumbra, but as mentioned before, the dimming is subtle.
- 6 a.m. The eclipse ends.
Why does the moon turn red during a lunar eclipse?
The full moon is covered during a total eclipse and blushes coppery red because of stray bits of sunlight filtering through Earth’s atmosphere.
“During a lunar eclipse, the Moon appears red or orange because any sunlight that’s not blocked by our planet is filtered through a thick slice of Earth’s atmosphere on its way to the lunar surface,” NASA stated. “It’s as if all the world’s sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the Moon.”
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