An experts advice for watching the imminent total lunar eclipse
A majestic celestial event looms large for the continental U.S. and greater Americas. Earth will pass between the sun and moon on the night of March 13 into the morning of March 14, creating a total lunar eclipse visible in large swathes of the Western Hemisphere. Aptly called a "blood moon," Earth blocks most sunlight from reaching the moon during these events, but long reddish wavelengths of sunlight still slip through our planet's atmosphere, illuminating our robust natural satellite in reddish, rusty, or crimson colors. Lunar totality — when the entirety of our view of the moon transforms into an eerie blood moon — will last for 65 minutes. So you'll have lots of time, weather-permitting, to experience the eclipse. Importantly, you don't need to do much. You don't need any special equipment — though you can choose to use some. You just need to go outside and peer at our ancient, deeply-cratered, geologically fascinating moon. "Enjoy it. See it with your own eyes," Emily Rice, an astronomer at Macaulay Honors College of the City University of New York, told Mashable. Rice also works with the American Astronomical Society. SEE ALSO: NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills. Here are some common questions about eclipse-viewing, with expert answers. The alignment of the moon, Earth, and sun during a total lunar eclipse. Credit: NASA When to see the March 2025 blood moon Many of us will need to stay up late, or set an alarm. Totality begins at 11:26 p.m. PDT on March 13, 2025 / 2:26 a.m. EDT on March 14 / 06:26 UTC, and lasts for 65 minutes. But the reddening progresses over hours. Technically, the eclipse starts (the "penumbral eclipse") with slight dimming on March 13 at 8:57 p.m. PDT / 11:57 p.m. EDT / 03:57 UTC. The greater event ends at 3:00 a.m. PDT / 6:00 a.m. EDT / 10:00 UTC. How to prepare for the total lunar eclipse Lunar eclipse-viewing doesn't take much preparation. But you do want to set yourself up for success. To immerse
An experts advice for watching the imminent total lunar eclipse