Total Lunar Eclipse Tonight Should be Visible

There’s a “supermoon” tonight – and a total eclipse!  Here we’ll see the eclipse begin around 10:34pm with the total eclipse beginning at 11:41.  The total eclipse will last for 62 minutes.  During the eclipse the moon will have a coppery red glow.

According to Spaceweather.com – ‘The eclipse will be “super” both figuratively and literally. During the shadow crossing, the Moon will be within 14 hours of perigee, its closest point to Earth. This makes the Moon a “supermoon,” almost 8% wider than an average full Moon. Normally, a supermoon would be about 16% brighter than average. The eclipse, however, will dim the supermoon, allowing stars to pop out around the swollen orb.

What makes the eclipsed Moon turn red? A quick trip to the Moon provides the answer: Imagine yourself standing on a dusty lunar plain looking up at the sky. Overhead hangs Earth, nightside down, completely hiding the sun behind it. The eclipse is underway.

You might expect Earth seen in this way to be utterly dark, but it’s not. The rim of the planet looks like it is on fire. As you scan your eye around Earth’s circumference, you’re seeing every sunrise and every sunset in the world, all of them, all at once. This incredible light beams into the heart of Earth’s shadow, filling it with a coppery glow and transforming the Moon into a great red orb.”