There will be a total lunar eclipse this weekend, providing longer than usual thrills for stargazers in the Caribbean, Central America, and North and South America.
On Sunday night and into early Monday morning, the moon will be bathed in the reflected red and orange hues of Earth’s sunsets and sunrises, the longest totality of the decade. This will be the first blood moon in a year.
If the weather cooperates, observers in the eastern half of North America and all of Central and South America will have prime viewing opportunities. There will be partial eclipses visible in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Asia, Alaska, and Australia are left out.
NASA’s Noah Petro, a planetary geologist expert on the moon, said, “This is really an eclipse for the Americas.” “It’ll be a real treat.”
All you need is patience and eyes, he said.
Total eclipses occur when Earth passes directly between the moon and the sun, casting a shadow on our constant, cosmic companion. At the peak of the eclipse, the moon will be 225,000 miles (362,000 kilometers) away, which will be around midnight on the East Coast of the US.