Nearly the entire Western Hemisphere will be treated to a total lunar eclipse next month, with the moon taking on a red hue as part of a remarkable celestial show.
Most of the United States will be treated to a total lunar eclipse in coming days, with a blood-red moon rising into the night sky.
Most of the Western Hemisphere will be able to see the eclipse, which will take place in the overnight hours of Thursday night and Friday morning, according to NASA scientists.
Here’s everything you need to know. (Note: all times/descriptions are in Central Daylight Time)
When will the total lunar eclipse occur?
According to NASA, the eclipse will begin late in the evening of Thursday, March 13, and will reach totality on the morning of Friday, March 14.
What happens during a lunar eclipse?
During a total lunar eclipse, the moon passes into the Earth’s shadow, blocking most of the light from the sun from reaching the moon’s surface.
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In that eclipse, the moon passes into the “umbra,” the term for the darkest part of Earth’s shadow.
Since the Earth isn’t big enough to completely block the light coming from the sun, only a little bit of light gets through, casting an orange or red hue onto the lunar surface, creating what’s known as a “Blood Moon.”
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Why does the moon appear red or orange during an eclipse?
While the sun’s light appears to be white, it’s actually made up of a variety of colors, which can either diffuse in Earth’s atmosphere or travel more directly through that atmosphere, depending on each type of light’s wavelengths.
During daylight hours for example, the Earth’s sky appears blue because that is the type of light that diffuses the most in the atmosphere.
Later in the day when the sun’s light isn’t traveling as directly through the atmosphere, the sun tends to take on more of an orange or red color, because those types of light travel more directly and don’t diffuse as much.
The same phenomenon occurs during a lunar eclipse, according to NASA. The light that isn’t blocked by the Earth travels in a more direct path, thus allowing that red or orange light to hit the moon’s surface.
When is totality for the eclipse?
According to NASA, the eclipse will begin slightly before 11 p.m. on Thursday night. Beginning at that time, the moon’s surface will slowly start to darken.
Just after midnight, a partial eclipse will begin, with a noticeable “chunk” of the moon’s surface becoming blocked out by the Earth.
At 1:26 a.m. Central time, the total lunar eclipse will begin, with the moon appearing reddish or orange in color. That phenomenon will be visible with the naked eye or via a telescope if skies are clear.
The total eclipse will last for just over one hour and will end at approximately 2:31 a.m.
