Lunar Eclipse Tonight

Above, a start of a lunar eclipse in 2014. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Tonight, provided the skies are clear, we will be treated to a lunar eclipse. This is when a full moon is in the Earth's shadow and appears reddish in hue.

According to the Associated Press:

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Here comes a total lunar eclipse and supermoon, all wrapped into one. 

The moon, Earth and sun will line up this weekend for the only total lunar eclipse this year and next. At the same time, the moon will be ever so closer to Earth and appear slightly bigger and brighter than usual — a supermoon. 

“This one is particularly good,” said Rice University astrophysicist Patrick Hartigan. “It not only is a supermoon and it’s a total eclipse, but the total eclipse also lasts pretty long. It’s about an hour.”

The whole eclipse starts Sunday night or early Monday, depending on location , and will take about three hours. 

It begins with the partial phase around 10:34 p.m. EST Sunday. That’s when Earth’s shadow will begin to nip at the moon. Totality — when Earth’s shadow completely blankets the moon — will last 62 minutes, beginning at 11:41 p.m. EST Sunday.

Since I am in the Mountain Time Zone, it should begin here around 8:34 p.m.

To read more, go here.