There will be a total lunar eclipse tonight. An eclipse occurs when the moon, Earth and sun fall into alignment and the moon passes through the Earth’s shadow..
The eclipse begins at 8:27, not long after sunset, and reaches totality at 9:39. The total eclipse will last nearly 90-minutes and the moon will move fully out of the Earth’s shadow at 11:55.
Tonight’s eclipse has a name – the Blood Moon eclipse – which comes from the dark red color of the moon at the height of the eclipse.
During an eclipse, when the sun’s rays reach the Earth, much of the blue and green light is scattered while the orange and red colors remain visible, giving the moon a reddish hue.
Unlike a solar eclipse, no precautions need to be taken during a lunar eclipse to protect against damage to the eyes.
On average, there are 2 total lunar eclipses each year with the next in November, but then there won’t be any total eclipses until March 2025.