LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Sunday night the sun, Earth and moon align perfectly for a total lunar eclipse for skywatchers to enjoy across most of the USA. Arkansas has a front row seat to the celestial show, and the best thing is you don’t have to stay up late to view it.
There is no need for special glasses, telescopes or binoculars. All you need is a clear view of the sky, the moon will be low on the horizon.
The official eclipse begins as the moon enters the lightest part of the Earth’s shadow or penumbra at 8:32 p.m. At this point, the full moon will look a hint dimmer, but most will not notice a difference.
By 9:27 p.m. the moon begins to enter Earth’s darkest shadow or the umbra — this is when the real eclipse begins. Over the next hour, watch the moon fade into darkness until the total eclipse point is reached at 10:29 p.m.
During the total eclipse, the moon will turn to a rusty red this phenomena is known as the “Blood Moon”. The color change is caused by enough of the sun’s light being scattered by the Earth’s atmosphere as it goes around.
For about an hour and twenty minutes, the moon will maintain this eerie appearance.
The total eclipse ends at 11:53 p.m., and by 12:55 a.m., the moon is back to its full appearance.
The moon exits all of the Earth’s shadow at 1:50 a.m.
If you missed the chance to see this spectacular sighting, don’t worry there is another total lunar eclipse happening on November 8 later this year. However, that one is during the early morning hours.
The biggest and most exciting events of this century will be the total eclipse of the sun on April 8, 2024. This is very rare and only a small part of the USA will be in the perfect spot to view this amazing event. Hopefully skies will be clear!
If you get a great picture of the eclipse Sunday evening send it our way!
