https://moon.nasa.gov/news/185/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-lunar-eclipse/ NASA NASA Science Earth's Moon [logo_nasa_] Skip Navigation menu close modal News | October 13, 2022 What You Need to Know About the Lunar Eclipse By Molly Wasser, Ernie Wright and Tracy Vogel What's special about November's lunar eclipse? The last total lunar eclipse for three years will occur on November 8, 2022, with the next occurring on March 14, 2025 -- though we will continue to see partial and penumbral lunar eclipses during that time. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align so that the Moon passes into Earth's shadow. In a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth's shadow, called the umbra. When the Moon is within the umbra, it will turn a reddish hue. Lunar eclipses are sometimes called "Blood Moons" because of this phenomenon. How can I observe the eclipse? You don't need any special equipment to observe a lunar eclipse, although binoculars or a telescope will enhance the view and the red color. A dark environment away from bright lights makes for the best viewing conditions. Totality -- the stage of the eclipse where the Moon is entirely in Earth's shadow -- will be visible across North and Central America and in Ecuador, Colombia, and western portions of Venezuela and Peru. In Puerto Rico, the Moon sets just after totality begins. The eclipse is also visible in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Viewers in Alaska and Hawaii will have the opportunity to see every stage of the eclipse. November 8 2022 Lunar Eclipse Visibility Map A map showing where the November 8, 2022 lunar eclipse is visible. Contours mark the edge of the visibility region at eclipse contact times. The map is centered on 168deg57'W, the sublunar longitude at mid-eclipse. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio What if it's cloudy or I'm not in the viewing region? Numerous organizations and individuals around the globe present live streams and videos of lunar eclipses. An online search will provide multiple options for viewing from your computer screen. You can also visit NASA's Dial-a-Moon for a visualization of the eclipse. What can I expect to observe? UTC EST PST Milestone What's Happening? 3:02 12:02 Penumbral The Moon enters the Earth's penumbra, the 8:02 a.m. a.m. eclipse outer part of the shadow. The Moon begins begins to dim, but the effect is quite subtle. The Moon begins to enter Earth's umbra and Partial the partial eclipse begins. To the naked 9:09 4:09 1:09 eclipse eye, as the Moon moves into the umbra, it a.m. a.m. begins looks like a bite is being taken out of the lunar disk. The part of the Moon inside the umbra will appear very dark. The entire Moon is now in the Earth's umbra. The Moon will turn a coppery-red. 10:17 5:17 2:17 Totality Try binoculars or a telescope for a better a.m. a.m. begins view. If you want to take a photo, use a camera on a tripod with exposures of at least several seconds. As the Moon exits Earth's umbra, the red 11:42 6:42 3:42 Totality color fades. It will look as if a bite is a.m. a.m. ends being taken out of the opposite side of the lunar disk as before. --- Partial 12:49 Moon 4:49 eclipse The whole Moon is in Earth's penumbra, but has a.m. ends again, the dimming is subtle. set --- Penumbral 13:50 Moon 5:50 eclipse The eclipse is over. has a.m. ends set What else can I see tonight? The Moon will be in the constellation Aries. NASA provides a monthly skywatching tips series that will highlight additional targets to focus on in between monitoring the eclipse. Why does the Moon turn red during a lunar eclipse? The same phenomenon that makes our sky blue and our sunsets red causes the Moon to turn red during a lunar eclipse. It's called Rayleigh scattering. Light travels in waves, and different colors of light have different physical properties. Blue light has a shorter wavelength and is scattered more easily by particles in Earth's atmosphere than red light, which has a longer wavelength. Graphic of the Earth and Moon. Sunlight passing above and below the Earth's atmosphere is broken up into a rainbow spectrum, with the red parts of the spectrum falling on the Moon. During a lunar eclipse, Earth's atmosphere scatters sunlight. The blue light from the Sun scatters away, and longer-wavelength red, orange, and yellow light pass through, turning our Moon red. *This image is not to scale. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/ Scientific Visualization Studio Red light, on the other hand, travels more directly through the atmosphere. When the Sun is overhead, we see blue light throughout the sky. But when the Sun is setting, sunlight must pass through more atmosphere and travel farther before reaching our eyes. The blue light from the Sun scatters away, and longer-wavelength red, orange, and yellow light pass through. During a lunar eclipse, the Moon turns red because the only sunlight reaching the Moon passes through Earth's atmosphere. The more dust or clouds in Earth's atmosphere during the eclipse, the redder the Moon will appear. It's as if all the world's sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the Moon. Artist's depiction of the Earth during a lunar eclipse from the surface of the Moon. Artist's depiction of the Earth during a lunar eclipse from the surface of the Moon. 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