November 8. 2022 Total Lunar Eclipse Time and Phases. (NASA)
The second blood moon of the year and the last for us until 2025 is set to be the highlight in the sky early in the morning on Tuesday, November 8th.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth and Moon all align in a way that the moon is in the Earth’s shadow. Tonight’s total eclipse will see the moon in the darkest part of the shadow and will turn the moon red, hence the name “blood moon.”
The eclipse starts at 1:55am MST and will be done at 6:06am MST. Totality begins at 3:17am and ends at 4:42am. Maximum eclipse will be at 3:59am.
You don’t need anything special to see the event as it will be easily visible with the naked eye. Binoculars though will provide a closer look.
The one hiccup we might have here in Thornton in being able to view the show is cloud cover. Overnight tonight moisture is expected to increase leading to partly to mostly cloudy skies. Hopefully, however, there will be some breaks in the coverage allowing a view. You can check the latest hour-by-hour sky cover forecast here.
This will be the last total lunar eclipse visible for us until March 14, 2025 so if you can get out of bed to see it and Mother Nature cooperates, it is well worth it.
Just in case you missed it, our west-facing weather webcam happened to catch the “super blood blue moon.” Certainly it isn’t as good as witnessing it in person but it does provide a cool look. You can see the shadow of the Earth clearly obscuring the moon as the event progresses. View full screen for the best view.
If you captured images of the celestial event, please share them with us so we can add them to our January slideshow.
A cosmic event not seen in 36 years — a rare “super blood blue moon” — may be glimpsed January 31 in parts of western North America, Asia, the Middle East, Russia and Australia. The event is causing a buzz because it combines three unusual lunar events — an extra big super moon, a blue moon and a total lunar eclipse. Continue reading Rare ‘super blood blue moon’ visible on Jan 31→
Sky-gazers stood transfixed across North America Monday as the Sun vanished behind the Moon in a rare total eclipse that swept the continent coast-to-coast for the first time in nearly a century. Millions of die-hard eclipse chasers and amateur star watchers alike converged in cities along the path of totality, a 70-mile (113-kilometer) wide swath cutting… Continue reading Total solar eclipse mesmerizes America→
Before Monday, the last total solar eclipse to pass over North America was in 1979, and one ABC News anchor had high hopes for the generation who would experience the astronomical phenomenon 38 years later. Frank Reynolds covered the eclipse on February 26, 1979. The broadcaster guided viewers as the eclipse approached totality, the period during… Continue reading Total Solar Eclipse in 1979 Ended With Moving Message→
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. | This railroad town of 25,000 may be just a speck on flyover country, but for one day next week, North Platte will feel like the center of the universe. Millions of people are expected to gravitate toward rural America to view Monday’s total solar eclipse, a rare celestial event. The path of… Continue reading Solar eclipse to fill small towns across America→
On Aug. 21, the moon will block out the sun completely, as seen from the United States, following a narrow band across the country while the shadow of the moon moves from the west coast to the east. The total solar eclipse will the first across the entirety of the contiguous United States since June 8,… Continue reading Safety Tips For Watching The Solar Eclipse→
Path of the moon during the total lunar eclipse on September 27, 2015. Click for a larger view. (Fred Espenak)
A total lunar eclipse coupled with a ‘supermoon’ will bring a very unusual scene to the sky on Sunday. Taken separately, the two events are not quite as extraordinary or rare. However, this will be the first time in 33 years they have occurred at the same time and the last for another 18 years.
The moon’s orbit around Earth is not a perfect circle and when it is at its closest to us, it appears quite a bit larger to our eye – hence the name ‘supermoon.’
On Sunday it will be about 31,000 miles closer to Earth than it is at its farthest point. According to NASA, this results in it appearing to be about 14% larger and 30% brighter.
The total lunar eclipse will be our second of 2015 and fourth in the past two – a tetrad of eclipses. During these, the moon finds itself in the Earth’s shadow and without direct sunlight hitting its surface, the moon turns an eerie orange / red color – a ‘blood moon.’
The last time these two events coincided was in 1982 and the next time won’t be until 2033. As NASA scientist Noah Petro said, “That’s rare because it’s something an entire generation may not have seen.”
When and where to watch?
The partial eclipse begins at 7:07pm MDT on Sunday, September 27, 2015 with totality starting at 8:11pm. The moon will then be completely eclipsed for a little more than an hour with mid-eclipse at 8:47am. The waning partial eclipse will end at 10:27pm.
One catch for viewing the entire event here along the Front Range is that when it begins, the moon will actually be just starting to rise on the eastern horizon. However, at mid-eclipse the moon will be 21 degrees above the horizon to the east southeast providing a nice view not far above the landscape.
Anyone in the area with a clear view of the lower, eastern sky should have no problem viewing the event.
Will Mother Nature cooperate?
Our unseasonably warm temperatures will be continuing through the weekend so there are no concerns about it being too cold to go outside. Clouds, however, are something to watch closely for. Some atmospheric moisture is expected late in the day Sunday and it is possible cloud cover may impact the clear viewing.
April 15, 2014 – The lunar eclipse is seen half-way to totality, the total lunar eclipse, and half-way between totality and the end. Click for a larger view. (Tony’s Takes)
During totality, the moon will be rendered orange / red as the Earth’s shadow envelops the moon. Many are calling this a ‘blood moon’ but the meaning behind that term isn’t exactly clear.
As written on EarthSky.org, some attribute it to the lunar tetrad – four successive full lunar eclipses without any partial eclipses. Tomorrow morning’s eclipse is the second in the lunar tetrad with each full lunar eclipse coming six months apart.
The blood moon as it pertains to these eclipses should not be confused with the October full moon which is also referred to as a blood moon in folklore.
Ashley Morrow, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Coming soon for the first time in more than 30 years: you’ll be able to witness a supermoon in combination with a lunar eclipse. Late on Sept. 27, 2015, in the U.S. and much of the world, a total lunar eclipse will mask the moon’s larger-than-life face for more… Continue reading Shedding light on the rare Sept. 27 supermoon eclipse→
The lunar eclipse gets started in Colorado as the Earth's shadow starts to cover the moon. View more images in the slideshow below. (ThorntonWeather.com)
It was a very cold morning in Thornton as the temperature dropped to 15° but the fog that was forecast never materialized and we had a great view of the lunar eclipse. Just before dawn the Earth’s shadow began to encroach on the moon and just as the eclipse was peaking, the moon set behind the Rocky Mountains.
View images of the lunar eclipse as seen from Barr Lake State Park below
Fog in Denver was feared to be a threat for viewing this morning’s total lunar eclipse but Mother Nature cooperated and provided clear Colorado skies. Not long before dawn the celestial show began and those who were able to witness it saw something that we won’t have an opportunity to see again until 2014.
NASA had called the lunar eclipse a ‘super-sized’ event due to its low placement on the horizon which tricks the mind and eye to thinking the moon is larger than it normally is. With our only natural satellite setting in the west, Coloradoans were able to view the eclipse just as the moon set behind the Rocky Mountains.
The total lunar eclipse was visible across a large swath of the Earth. From east of the Rocky Mountains to Australia and to Asia, nearly half of the globe had a view of the event.
Heightening interest in the eclipse was the fact that it will be the last total lunar eclipse for nearly three years. The next one won’t occur until April 14, 2014. There will be a second one that year on October 8th. In 2015 there will also be two; one on April 4th and another on September 27th.
Stay up to date with ThorntonWeather.com: ‘Like’ us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and add us to your Google+ circles
Weather, natural disasters & climate news and information.
