Total Eclipse of the Moon Saturday
The weather should be nice tomorrow for most of us to get a nice view of the total eclipse of the Moon. We should see darkening of the Moon about 4:30 p.m. The total eclipse will be underway about 5:45 p.m. The full moon will return to normal brightness about 8:15 p.m. Although telescopes are useful, they're not actually needed for viewing such an event.
Unlike solar eclipses, which are dangerous to view with the naked eye, it is completely safe to watch a lunar eclipse because it is far dimmer. Looking directly at an eclipse of the Sun can cause permanent eye damage, even blindness.
Lunar eclipses occur when the Earth moves between the Sun and Moon, blocking the flow of light that normally illuminates the moon's barren surface. In contrast, during a total solar eclipse, it's the Moon that glides between the Earth and Sun. Blocking sunlight makes day seem to turn into night here on Earth.
There's a chance the Moon will turn red – even bright red – during the coming total eclipse. This reddening is caused by pollutants, haze or clouds in the Earth's atmosphere altering the color of the sunlight reaching the Moon.