On Friday, March 14, the Americas will witness a spectacular lunar eclipse – one that will turn the moon red for about an hour – the first time such an event has occurred anywhere since 2022.
On Friday, March 14, the Americas will bear witness to a spectacular lunar eclipse – the first time one has occurred anywhere since 2022.
For a total lunar eclipse to happen, the Earth needs to be positioned directly between the sun and a full moon. When aligned in this way, the Earth’s central shadow, known as the “umbra”, falls across the lunar surface, blocking out sunlight.
However, when the moon is within the Earth’s umbra, light refracted through Earth’s atmosphere still reaches the lunar surface — which is why the moon turns red – known as a “totality”.
A lunar eclipse will not be visible again in the Americas until 2029, so try and make the most of this one if you can.
