Total lunar eclipse to take place weekend; What to look for

On average, every two and a half years, a total lunar eclipse is visible from any point on Earth. This weekend is the next total lunar eclipse visible in the United States!

Sunday night into Monday morning the Earth, moon and sun will line up and the Earth will cast a shadow from the sun on the moon.

The Earth passing between the sun and moon will allow a shadow to be cast on the moon to produce a total lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse is often called a Blood Moon because even though direct sunlight doesn’t reach the moon during this event, indirect sunlight is bent by the Earth’s atmosphere and that will light up the moon.

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Since this indirect light is bent by the Earth’s atmosphere, the shorter waves lengths are scattered away and only the longer waves of red and orange reach the moon which is what makes the moon appear red.

Sunday night the partial lunar eclipse will begin at 10:27 p.m. when the moon will start to turn red. The total lunar eclipse will last from 11:29 p.m. until 12:53 a.m. with the max occurring at 12:11 a.m.

Monday. Locally, cloud cover and rain showers will make our view of the eclipse more challenging but it will still be worth a look if you are up late Sunday night.

You can also watch a live stream of the event here from NASA.

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