'Blood Moon' Lunar Eclipse Visible Tonight: Viewing Times & How to Watch
The final lunar eclipse of the year will occur early wednesday morning. On the East coast, the eclipse will happen just before sunrise at 6:25 a.m. ET. On the West coast it will begin at 3:25 a.m. PT. This translates to 5:25 a.m.CT and 4:25 a.m. MT, respectively. The eclipse will last for roughly an hour after it starts.
Once the event begins, the moon will appear to be a coppery red, earning it the title of a 'blood' moon. The exact color of the blood moon will vary from location to location due to the amount of dust in the Earth's atmosphere.
Luckily for those that are hoping to catch a glimpse of the celestial phenomenon, there is no need to take similar precautions as when viewing a solar eclipse. Whether you want to watch through binoculars, telescopes or the naked eye, this eclipse is possible to see without any fear of retinal damage.
An eclipse occurs when the Earth, Sun and moon align so that the Earth's shadow (also known as its umbra) passes over the moon. The southern half of the moon will appear much darker than the northern half because it will be more in Earth's shadow.
"The eclipse will only be visible in its entirety from parts of Eastern Australia, New Zealand, eastern Asia, most of Japan, the Hawaiian Islands and the western part of North America," said Slooh.com.
The site notes that the eclipse will be visible in central and western regions of the U.S. very high in the sky, whereas easterners will see the eclipse as the moon is setting.
Clouds and rain may limit viewing experiences in the northeast, where a storm system from the southwest is expected to obscure the sky.
Aside from the southwest, which will be host to thick clouds to hinder the view of the moon, The southern and central parts of the country will only be partly cloudy, allowing for a fairly clear viewing experience.
This is the second lunar eclipse of the year, known as the Hunter's Moon, which occurs after the full moon that is known as the Harvest Moon.
The next solar eclipse will happen on April 4, 2015.