The first total lunar eclipse in more than two years coincides with a supermoon early Wednesday morning for a great cosmic show, and the Pacific Coast has a fantastic viewing point.
“Hawaii has the best seat in the house and then short of that will be California and the Pacific Northwest,” said NASA’s Noah Petro, project scientist for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. New Zealand and Australia also will have prime viewing.
The total eclipse lasts about 15 minutes as Earth passes directly between the moon and the sun, but the entire show lasts for about 5 hours as the Earth’s shadow gradually covers the moon, then begins to ebb.
A supermoon occurs when a full or new moon coincides with the closest approach to Earth, as the moon’s orbit is not perfectly circular.
The reddish-orange color is the result of all the sunrises and sunsets in Earth’s atmosphere projected onto the surface of the eclipsed moon.
Unlike a solar eclipse, there is no harm in looking at one (not mentioning the names of any idiots who stared at the last solar eclipse).
Those on the West coast can see the best view around 4:11 a.m. PT. On the eastern half of the U.S., a partial eclipse will be visible just before the moon sets around 5:45 a.m. ET/4:45 Central.
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Source info at PBS.
