TYLER, Texas —
A neat astronomical event will grace the skies of East Texas later this weekend. A total lunar eclipse, also known as a ‘Blood Moon,’ will occur on Sunday night.
It’s nicknamed a ‘Blood Moon’ because at the peak of totality, the moon will turn dark red. You won’t need any special equipment to view this celestial phenomenon, although using binoculars or a telescope will help enhance the view and color of the eclipse. You’ll also want to make sure you’re in a dark environment, away from any type of light.
As far as when the eclipse can be viewed, the eastern half of the United States, including all of Texas, will be able to view each stage of the lunar eclipse. Luckily for East Texas, skies will be mostly clear, which means we’ll have a good chance at viewing this event.
While the eclipse will begin at 8:32 p.m., the total eclipse starts at 10:29 p.m.. This is when the moon will begin turning a dark shade of red. Its peak totality, which is when it reaches its darkest shade of red, will occur at 11:11 p.m.. By 11:53 p.m., the moon will start to lose its red coloring and its return to normalcy will happen at 1:50 a.m.
This weekend’s astronomical event will be the first of two total lunar eclipses to occur in the United States. The next one will be on Nov. 8, although the totality for this one will only be seen along the Eastern seaboard. After that, the next total lunar eclipse to occur anywhere in the world will be March 13, 2025. After a nice Sunday afternoon nap, be sure to check it out and share your photos with us at Weather@cbs19.tv!