Lunar Eclipse Tonight: Where and When to Look to See “Blood Moon”

While the weather may be an issue for some in the eastern half of the U.S. tonight, the rest of us will have an opportunity to look up a see a full Lunar Eclipse, also known as the “blood moon.”

This first eclipse of the moon for 2014 should be visible, weather and cloud cover permitting, across the majority of North and South America, including viewers hoping to see the lunar eclipse in Hawaii and Alaska. Below we cover where and when to look to see the lunar eclipse.

Watch Lunar Eclipse video about the “Blood Moon” below:



The exact time to watch the lunar eclipse will vary depending on you location. However in general the viewing opportunities begin after midnight Monday – into early Tuesday morning.

The published times for tonight’s eclipse of the moon stretch from 12:53am eastern to 6:00am.

The Lunar Eclipse occurs when the Earth passes directly between the Moon and the Sun, which normally illuminates the Moon in the night sky. As the moon passes into the Earth’s shadow it appears to take on a dull and reddish color – hence the “blood moon.”

If the weather does not allow you to see the lunar eclipse tonight, don’t despair. The next viewing opportunity to see an eclipse of our Moon comes October 8 and should also be visible across most of the continent.

Tonight’s lunar eclipse is actually the first of four eclipses of our Moon, referred to as a “lunar eclipse tetrad series,” between tonight and September 2015.