A “Blood Moon” Total Lunar Eclipse to Happen Sunday Night

Astronomy fans, rejoice! A “blood moon” total lunar eclipse will take place tomorrow night.

The event will be the first total lunar eclipse visible from the entire contiguous U.S. since Jan. 21, 2019. There was a total lunar eclipse visible on May 26, 2021, but it could be seen from only the western U.S., Alaska and Hawaii.

There was also a partial lunar eclipse over the Americas on Nov. 19, 2021, when 97% of the moon went dark, but ultimately fell just short of being considered a total eclipse.

A total lunar eclipse is sometimes called a “Blood Moon” because the moon often appears to turn dark red at the height of the eclipse. The eerie shift in color is because of a change in the light reflecting off the moon. The moon passes centrally through the axis of Earth’s dark (umbral) shadow. The moon is in a near part of its orbit – close to Earth – during the eclipse.

The entire eclipse will last about 5 hours and start at 8:32 PM, however, the full, total eclipse will start at 10:29 PM and will last approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes. The current forecast does call for mainly clear skies so that is ideal for viewing. Keep updated on any forecast changes HERE.

For more information on the eclipse click HERE.

Cover photo: (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)