Near Total Lunar Eclipse next Thursday

Next Thursday night, a near total lunar eclipse will take place.

The Full Moon will move 97% into the full umbral shadow of the Earth. The Moon should take on a dull, reddish appearance near maximum eclipse.

This is a late night, early morning eclipse. The partial phase starts at 2:18 am (all times EST) - this is when the shadow of the Earth will become noticeable. Maximum eclipse takes place at 4:02 am . The Moon will then begin to move out of the Earth's shadow. The partial phases will end at 5:47 am.

The diagram below shows the phases of the eclipse (courtesy Sky & Telescope).

The diagram below shows the phases of the eclipse and where on the Earth the eclipse will be visible. During a lunar eclipse, if you can see the Moon, you can see the eclipse. The Moon is visible to half the Earth at any time. Since the Earth rotates during the many hours the eclipse occurs, over half of the Earth’s surface can see different phases of the eclipse.

CourtestyFred Espenak

The photo of an eclipsed Moon in one I took during a similar eclipse in March 1997. The Moon was 92% covered while this upcoming eclipse it will be 97% covered.

The partially eclipsed Moon March 1997 (Randy Attwood)

Good luck and clear skies! Post a comment after the eclipse and report what you saw!