A total lunar eclipse is set to turn this week’s full moon dark, but will you be able to see it and when should you look?
The total eclipse may not look exactly like what you’d expect.
Here’s what to expect and when:
When is the total lunar eclipse?
According to the Adler Planetarium, the eclipse will occur a few hours before sunrise on March 3.
At that time, “the Chicago area gets to experience a total eclipse of the Moon, as the Moon’s orbit takes it into and through the Earth’s shadow cast into space.”
The eclipse will officially start in the Chicago area around 2:44 a.m. CST.
The partial phase of the eclipse begins at 3:50 a.m. CT, “as the Moon begins to move into the Earth’s darker inner umbral shadow.”
Then the eclipse is scheduled to reach totality around 5:04 a.m. CT.
Totality will peak at 5:33 a.m. and end at 6:02 a.m., according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.
The partial eclipse will continue past 7 a.m., but won’t be visible in the Chicago area because of sunrise, according to meteorologists.
What is a lunar eclipse?
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, casting its shadow over the moon.
A partial lunar eclipse is just what it sounds like, where only part of Earth’s shadow covers the moon.
A total lunar eclipse is when the moon moves completely into Earth’s shadow, which causes the moon to appear red in color. That is what we’ll see this week.
The red color is from sunlight shining and refracting through Earth’s atmosphere. The light gets scattered, much like in the sky during a pretty sunset, filtering out the other colors on the spectrum and leaving us with a red hue.
That light then bounces off the moon back down to Earth for us to see at night.
What will the total eclipse look like?
As the partial eclipse begins, viewers might notice a larger portion of the moon gradually becoming “visibly darker,” the Adler Planetarium reported.
During totality, the moon will sit about 15 degrees above the horizon and may appear to have to a more reddish tint in what is also referred to as a “blood moon.”
“A totally eclipsed Moon can appear to be brown, orange, or gray—we’ll have to wait and see what color we get,” Adler Planetarium reported.
Will Chicago-area residents be able to see it?
Unfortunately, residents in the Chicago area may not be able to see the big show on Tuesday morning.
Cloud cover is expected to increase Monday night and into Tuesday morning, and there is also a chance of rain across the area, which could cover up the eclipse for area residents.
If the weather holds out, residents would be able to see the moon low in the western sky on Tuesday morning. When the moon is lower on the horizon it appears bigger, which would make the spectacle even more vivid.
When is the next lunar eclipse that will be visible in the Chicago area?
The next partial lunar eclipse will occur on August 27 at 11 p.m. It will be slightly red because most of the surface will be covered, but it isn’t a total eclipse, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.
Unfortunately for residents, if the weather spoils the show on Tuesday morning, the next total lunar eclipse that will be visible in the Chicago area won’t occur for another three years, taking to the skies on the night of June 25, 2029.
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