The blood moon total lunar eclipse happens Thursday night into Friday morning and, if the weather cooperates, the red moon could be a stunner that’s especially easy to see and even photograph.
A total lunar eclipse happens when the sun, the earth and moon are positioned so that the full moon passes through the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra, which can make the moon look red-orange. That’s why we call it a “blood moon," a term that sometimes struck fear in ancient civilizations when people thought it was an omen of evil. The last total lunar eclipse was in November 2022.
The eclipse is viewable anywhere in the Western Hemisphere that has clear skies, including every state in the U.S. It's exciting to see this happen but....
The moon will start to look a little different just before midnight tonight. The eclipse itself will start shortly after 1 a.m. EDT Friday and totality happens between about 2:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. EDT.
No special equipment, including glasses is needed to view a lunar eclipse. That’s because you’re not looking directly at the sun. Telescopes and binoculars aren’t necessary, but they will give you a better view. So will moving away from bright light.
If you miss it (or just fall asleep) a partial solar eclipse on April 29 will block out part of the sun. It will be visible for a short time in parts of the Northeast.
Photo: DAMIEN MEYER / AFP / Getty Images