Keep your eyes on the skies very early in the morning on Tuesday March 3rd where one of the night sky’s most beautiful sights, a total lunar eclipse, will be visible!

The partial phase of the eclipse, when we can visibly see the Moon begin to darken, will begin at 4:50am Eastern time. The eclipse will reach its total phase, sometimes referred to as a Blood Moon, at 6:04 am when the Moon will, most likely, be a distinct reddish color. For those of us on the east coast, the Moon will stay in this total phase until it sets and is no longer visible around 6:29am.

Why do lunar eclipses happen?
A total lunar eclipse like this occurs when the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon. For this effect to happen the Sun, Earth, and Moon need to be in perfect alignment at a time when the Moon is visible from your location. On average, total lunar eclipses are only visible from any given spot on Earth every 2.5 years!

How can I see this total lunar eclipse?
From New Jersey the total phase of this eclipse, unlike most lunar eclipses, will only be visible when the Moon is very low in the sky. However, the partial phase is also quite striking, as more and more of the Moon slides into the deep shadow of the earth.

A partial lunar eclipse, where Earth's shadow covers a portion of the Moon.

Photo credit: Catalin CACIULEANU

What is a Blood Moon?
A Blood Moon is just another name for a total lunar eclipse, named thanks to the eerie red color the moon gains during totality. While the Earth blocks almost all of the light that would reach the Moon, some light still is able to pass through the Earth’s atmosphere. While most colors of light are scattered around and filtered out, colors made from longer wavelengths of light like red and orange pass through the atmosphere and are bent toward the Moon. So the only light that makes it to the Moon is red or orange!