Partial lunar eclipse may be visible in the Midwest Thursday into Friday

CHICAGO – A lunar eclipse may be visible Thursday evening across much of North America and South America, including throughout the Midwest, according to NASA.

When will the partial lunar eclipse be visible? 

Timeline:

The partial lunar eclipse will take place Thursday night and continue into Friday, depending on your time zone, according to NASA. 

• Penumbral eclipse: 8:23 p.m. CT/ 9:23 p.m. ET (This is when the penumbral shadow will begin crossing the moon’s face.)
• Partial eclipse begins: 9:33 p.m. CT/ 10:33 p.m. ET
• Maximum eclipse: 11:12 p.m. CT/ 12:12 a.m. ET
• Partial eclipse ends: 12:52 a.m. CT/ 1:52 a.m. ET

What is a partial lunar eclipse? 

What we know:

A lunar eclipse occurs when a full moon passes through Earth’s shadow — known as the umbra — in space, according to Time and Date. A partial lunar eclipse happens when the Earth passes between the sun and moon, casting a shadow that darkens a sliver of the moon and appears to take a bite out of it.

The moon will also appear to look like a Blood Moon during the partial phase of the eclipse. This will make the Moon appear much fainter as it is covered by Earth’s umbral shadow. However, instead of disappearing from view, it will turn a rusty red color, which is caused by the edge of Earth’s shadow in space. This shadow has a reddish glow that comes from sunlight that goes through the atmosphere and surrounds our planet, as explained by Time and Date. 

How to watch the partial lunar eclipse

What you can do:

Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse does not require any special viewing eyewear. You can look directly at the moon without fear of damaging your eyesight. If you want a closer look at the lunar eclipse, binoculars or a telescope could give prime viewing. 

Weather also can impact the visibility of the eclipse. Cloud coverage can affect visibility of the eclipse. You can check your area’s cloud coverage on AccuWeather’s hourly forecast by clicking the dropdown menu on the hour to see what percentage of cloud coverage is forecasted for that time. 

You can also watch the partial lunar eclipse online. Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles will be livestreaming the eclipse from their YouTube channel.