Dear Friends:
Thursday night (March 13/14) is an opportunity to see the first total lunar eclipse since 2022. Clouds permitting, it will be visible throughout North and South America, as well as much of Oceania and parts of western Europe and Africa. Here’s a brief summary of the key times to watch by time zone for the US:
- Eastern time: The partial lunar eclipse (when you’ll first notice Earth’s shadow touching the Moon) begins when the Moon first enters Earth’s full shadow (umbra) at 1:09 am. Totality (when Earth’s shadow completely engulfs the Moon) begins at 2:26 am and ends at 3:32 am.
- Central time: Partial begins at 12:09 am, total begins at 1:26 am and ends at 2:32 am.
- Mountain time: Partial begins at 11:09 pm, total begins at 12:26 am and ends at 1:32 am..
- Pacific time: Partial begins at 10:09 pm, total begins at 11:26 pm and ends at 12:32 am.
- Alaska time: Partial begins at 9:09 pm, total begins at 10:26 pm and ends at 11:32 pm.
- Hawaii time: Partial begins at 7:09 pm, total begins at 8:26 pm and ends at 9:32 pm.
A few notes for the eclipse:
- Past your bedtime? You can still see the best parts if you get up to watch the last 15 to 20 minutes before totality and the first few minutes of totality. That will allow you to see Earth’s curved shadow (proof that Earth is round) as it makes its way to fully engulfing the Moon, along with the red color that the Moon takes on during totality.
- For more details on this particular eclipse, see this Sky & Telescope article.
- To learn more about how eclipses work in general, check out my two short videos about understanding eclipses posted here (and also accessible through the Learn screen of the FREE Totality app) or my Totality! book.
Finally, if anyone is interested:
- Reviewers wanted: I’m working on a new book on the Scale of the Universe aimed at K-12 teachers and the general public. If you’d be willing to review the draft, please email me.
- Reviewers/Sponsors wanted for a new planetarium show/movie based on Max Goes to Mars. Again, please email me if interested.
Hope you enjoy the lunar eclipse!
Jeff
PS. For those in the area of the University of Maryland (College Park): I will be doing my talk “Pathway to a Post-Global Warming Future” on Tuesday, April 8, 6-7pm, room Edward St. John 1215. Details at go.umd.edu/pathway2025.