A total lunar eclipse will occur in the skies over parts of the Western Hemisphere this week, but will the weather allow Chicago-area residents to see it?
The eclipse will begin late Thursday night but won’t reach totality until Friday morning, giving residents a chance to see a unique celestial spectacle.
During that eclipse, the moon will take on an orange or even a reddish hue, a phenomenon that has long been described as a “blood moon” throughout history.
The question is whether or not the weather will cooperate, allowing Chicago-area residents to see the show.
According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, conditions are expected to be mostly clear during the overnight hours Thursday and into Friday, with only occasional clouds expected during the time of the eclipse.
According to NASA, the eclipse will begin just before 11 p.m. Thursday night, with the moon slowly darkening as it approaches Earth’s shadow. The partial lunar eclipse will start just after midnight Friday, with a slowly growing “bite” being taken out of the moon before the eclipse hits totality at approximately 1:26 a.m. Central time.
For the next hour and five minutes, the moon will be totally eclipsed, taking on the eerie red or orange hue that can be visible with the naked eye. Longer-exposure cameras can be used to get an even better image of the moon, as can telescopes, according to NASA scientists.
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The total eclipse will end at 2:31 a.m. Friday, and the partial eclipse will last further into the morning, according to officials.
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