The NASA essay “Don’t Sleep on This: Total Lunar Eclipse will Bring Blood Moon March 13-14” is an invitation to witness the cosmic event introduced in this special edition of “Eyes to the Sky.”
This coming Thursday night, our moon will be aligned opposite the sun, with planet Earth between moon and sun in our sky, as shown in the illustrations. At total eclipse, Earth blocks the sun’s light from falling on the moon. Earth’s shadow is cast on the moon.
March’s Full Worm Moon rises above the eastern horizon at 6:34 p.m. on March 13. Bright Luna climbs in a southerly direction. At 11:56 p.m., the moon appears about halfway to zenith in the south-southeast. The penumbral (Latin paene “almost, nearly,” umbra “shadow”) phase begins, nearly imperceptible.
About an hour later, at 1:09 a.m. EDT on March 14, the moon has entered the penumbra. Partially eclipsed by Earth’s shadow, a dim orb can be detected as stars begin to brighten. Total eclipse, the umbral phase, when the moon enters Earth’s full shadow, begins at 2:26 a.m. Luna will appear coppery red before leaving the umbra. One writer observes, “That totality will last for close to an hour, so even if it’s cloudy you may still be able to glimpse it if the clouds are scattered.” Total eclipse ends at 3:31 a.m. Partial eclipse ends at 4:48 a.m. EDT on March 14, and the penumbral eclipse at 6:02 a.m. EDT.
Sunrise nearly due east at 7:07 a.m. Moonset due west at 7:16 a.m.
