Watch Tonight’s Rare Blood Moon Total Lunar Eclipse Before It Vanishes For Years
For observers here in North America, the timing is particularly favorable. This eclipse will begin with the penumbral phase (a subtle dimming that is often missed by the casual eye) before the partial phase begins to take a bite out of the Moon. Even better is that totality is scheduled to last approximately 58 minutes. During this time, the Moon will be seen in a copper or blood-orange hue that will vary depending on the amount of dust and clouds in the upper atmosphere. Those close to volcanic activity or significant forest fires will see the Moon in deeper red, sometimes almost charcoal-black.
Unlike solar eclipses, a lunar eclipse is entirely safe to view with the naked eye. And since the Moon is expected to be relatively high in the sky during the peak (for most of the Western Hemisphere), urban stargazers won't need to travel to dark-sky locations. While the red glow is visible to anyone with a clear view of the sky, binoculars or a small telescope are your best bet for viewing the creeping shadow of Earth’s topography across the craters of the Moon.
If you can make it out to a darker space, with tonight's Moon positioned in the constellation Leo, the surrounding stars that are usually washed out by the Moon's glare will suddenly pop by several magnitudes. Depending on local weather patterns, the transition from the "Worm Moon" to the "Blood Moon" of totality will no doubt be one of the most photographed and watched astronomical occurrences of the year.
What are "Blood Moons" in the first place? As the Moon moves into Earth's umbra, i.e. the darkest part of its shadow, the usual white orb
will chromatically shift into a deep, rust-like red, thanks to a
phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering. This is the same process that
paints sunsets across the horizon and likewise makes the sky appear blue
during the day. Also, if you were standing on the Moon during the
height of the eclipse, you would see a bright red ring surrounding
Earth.
