The Earth's shadow will block most of the light reaching the lunar surface, creating a phenomenon known as a blood moon.
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From Thursday evening until Friday morning, the Earth's shadow will engulf the Moon, turning the usually pearly ball into a stunning red sphere.
This is the first total lunar eclipse in two years. Also known as a blood moon, the event will be most visible in the Americas, western parts of Africa and Europe, New Zealand and parts of Russia.
“It's a beautiful sight in the night sky,” said Amanda Bosch, executive director of the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, who has seen more than 20 lunar eclipses in her lifetime.
“I enjoy watching the solar system and the universe at work,” she added.
When will this eclipse occur?
The total lunar eclipse consists of several phases. According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, the event will last about six hours on Thursday and Friday.
The moon will begin to creep into Earth's penumbra around 11:56 p.m. ET Thursday. At 1:09 a.m. Friday, the moon will enter the umbra, during which more and more of its surface will be hidden from view. The moon will appear redder as the partial phase passes, Dr. Bosch said.
The total eclipse, when the entire Moon is in the darkest part of the Earth's shadow, occurs at 2:25 a.m. and lasts just over an hour.
Cloudiness forecast during the eclipse
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Sources: NOAA/National Blend of Models (cloud cover); MapLibre (map rendering); Natural Earth (roads, markers, and terrain); Protomaps (map fragments)
William B. Davis, Joel Eastwood and Joey K. Lee
