Partial lunar eclipse happening tonight

A deep partial lunar eclipse is happening tonight as the moon passes through the Earth’s shadow.

The partial phase begins around 9:30 p.m. and will last over three hours.

Experts with NASA say the best time to look up is around 11:15 p.m., when about 96 percent of the moon will be covered by Earth’s central shadow.

At that point, the moon could take on a copper or reddish color, created by sunrises and sunsets filtering light around the edge of the earth.

Unlike a solar eclipse, you don’t need eye protection to watch a lunar eclipse. If you head outside tonight, experts recommend giving your eyes a few minutes to adjust to the dark. NASA Senior Data Visualizer Ernie Wright said, “When you have a chance to go out and look at it, it’s just really cool. It’s beautiful. The next total eclipse that we’re going to see in the US is not until 2029 in June. So, it’s not like, you know, next month you can go out and see the same thing. It’s not like, I love looking at the moon all the time, but it’s not just a full moon. It’s a pretty special visual. And you never know what the weather’s going to be. So, if you say, I’ll wait for the next one, the next one might be completely clouded out. So, and it only takes a minute to go outside and take a look.”

Weather conditions will affect the visibility of this partial eclipse, but Wright says to go outside and look for gaps in the clouds.