Millions of skywatchers across much of the Western Hemisphere will step outside late tonight or early Friday morning to witness one of Nature's grandest spectacles, a total lunar eclipse See Also: Minute-by-Minute Guide / Webcasts / Submit Photos / Weather
An easy-to-watch total eclipse of the Moon will dazzle skywatchers across much of the Western Hemisphere late tonight and early Friday morning, weather permitting.
Over several hours, Earth will block sunlight, creating a shadow that will appear to creep across the Moon until the satellite is fully covered. The Moon will be plunged into almost total darkness, nearly disappearing while likely retaining orange or red hues as countless sunrises and sunsets bend light toward Earth's only natural satellite
No two eclipses are the same, so scientists can't predict exactly what you'll see.
Where clouds don't interfere, portions of the eclipse will be visible across all of Europe and most of North America and Africa. The entire event will be visible from the Eastern United States and all of South America.
Watching a lunar eclipse is simple and requires no special equipment. Optical aids will add to the experience, however.
"Telescopes and binoculars can provide dramatic views of the eclipsed Moon, particularly by enhancing the colors," said Robert Naeye, editor of Mercury magazine, published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
Pick a spot
It is also wise to scout out a good viewing location. For U.S. and Canadian residents, the eclipse begins low on the horizon, so a site unobstructed by trees or tall buildings is best.
Immersion into a vague shadow begins almost imperceptibly at 9:05 p.m. ET Thursday (01:05 UT Friday). Sharp-eyed viewers in the eastern United States will have an opportunity to try and detect these first, modest moments, as the Moon's orbital course brings it into a partial shadow, called a penumbra, cast by Earth.
Most skywatchers will be unimpressed until things get really get interesting at 10:03 p.m. ET (02:03 UT), when Earth's total shadow, called the umbra, begins to take a bite out of the Moon.
The heart of the event, called totality, begins at 11:14 ET (03:14 UT) and ends at 12:07 a.m. ET Friday morning (04:07 UT).
The eclipse will be underway when the Moon rises in the Western United States. In Europe, the Moon will set while the eclipse is in progress.
Look for subtle color changes
| Eclipse Maps, Graphics, Photos |  Global Map
Click to see where the eclipse is visible around the world, and what stage it's in when the Moon comes up. |
Sequence of Events
Residents in the eastern U.S. and Canada will see the entire eclipse. |
 Image of the Day
This series of photographs shows a total lunar eclipse on July 6, 1982.
2003 by Fred Espenak
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A total lunar eclipse occurs because Earth blocks all direct sunlight, which is otherwise the source of the Moon's illumination. But some sunlight is refracted by Earth's atmosphere and falls on the Moon. The atmosphere absorbs most of the sunlight, typically allowing only red to get through. It's the same science that makes sunsets red.
The Moon reflects the red light back to Earth.
"What's really neat about total lunar eclipses is that every one is different," Naeye said. "The color of the Moon varies from eclipse to eclipse, depending on how much dust and other aerosols have been recently injected into the atmosphere by volcanic eruptions and forest fires."
The Moon has appeared blood-red in some eclipses. Citing a lack of recent volcanic eruptions, Fred Espenak, a noted eclipse researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, guesses that this event will generate orange or bright red colors.
Up to three lunar eclipses can occur in a year, though in some years there are none.
If clouds ruin this one in your area, know that another total eclipse is on tap for Nov. 9 and will provide almost identical viewing opportunities in the Western Hemisphere.
More Eclipse Info
Webcasts of the eclipse
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