Sadly, the United States (and the rest of the continent) missed out on a lunar eclipse last summer, but we will get one more chance this weekend. On the evening of January 20th, the only total lunar eclipse of 2019 will light up the night sky across North and South America, as well as parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia.
The eclipse is being referred to a variety of names, but the most ridiculous (and therefore best) has to be Super Blood Wolf Moon. “Super” refers to the fact that the Moon will be closest to the Earth in its orbit when the total eclipse takes place, “blood” is a reference to the reddish hue the Moon will take on during the eclipse, and “wolf” is taken from the Old Farmer’s Almanac, as full moons in January are apparently known as Full Wolf Moons.
If you want to watch it live, NASA says that the edge of the Moon will begin to enter the Earth’s penumbra (the outer section of the shadow) at 6:36 p.m. PT / 9:39 p.m. ET. Over the course of the next 57 minutes, the Moon will dim as it travels through the penumbra. Then, at 7:33 p.m. PT / 10:33 p.m. ET, the Moon will reach the umbra, at which point it will become significantly darker. By 8:41 p.m. PT / 11:41 p.m. ET, the Moon will be all the way inside the umbra, and that’s when the eclipse truly begins. The best view will occur at 9:12 p.m. PT / 12:12 a.m. ET.
According to NASA, the total lunar eclipse should last almost exactly an hour, with the edge of the Moon expected to begin exiting the umbra at 9:43 p.m. PT / 12:43 a.m. ET. The Moon will then depart the umbra at 10:50 p.m. PT / 1:50 a.m. ET, and the eclipse will end completely at 11:48 p.m PT / 2:48 a.m. ET. If the weather conditions aren’t conducive to viewing (or it’s just too cold to go outside), you can watch the live stream above instead.
UPDATE: As advertised, the one and only total lunar eclipse of 2019 was a stunner. If you were willing to brave the cold Sunday night, you were treated to a rare sight, as the moon turned blood red and dominated the night sky across North and South America. If you missed it (or just can’t get enough of the Super Blood Wolf Moon), here are some of the best photographs we could find of the stunning astral phenomenon:
Allaman, Switzerland
Prague, Czech Republic
Milan, Italy
Salgotarjan, Hungary
Mallorca, Spain
