Skywatchers stay tuned for the second total lunar eclipse of 2014 that will be visible across much of the Americas and Asia in the coming hours.
The event began at 04:00 EDT and will reach totality before sunrise at 06:25 EDT.
During the eclipse – which is the second to occur this year – our only natural satellite will be fully covered by the Earth’s shadow.
The Moon appears orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off our atmosphere, hence the name Blood Moon.
The Moon appears orange or red, the result of sunlight scattering off our atmosphere, hence the name Blood Moon
Weather permitting, skywatchers in North America, Australia, western South America and parts of East Asia will be able to see the spectacle.
However, Europe, Africa and the eastern part of Brazil are missing out on the show.
The last total lunar eclipse occurred on April 15, and the next is expected to take place on April 4, 2015.
There will be two full lunar eclipses again in 2015.
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The first total lunar eclipse of 2014 will occur early morning on April 15, darkening the full moon and possibly tinting it a reddish hue that causes some to call it a “Blood Moon”.
For nearly an hour and a half, the moon will be dimmed and possibly appearing a copper color because of sunlight bent by the atmosphere.
The total eclipse begins around 3 a.m. and ends around 4:30 a.m., with the moon at its dimmest at 3:46 a.m.
The eclipse will be visible across the Americas as well as throughout the Pacific.
It is the first of three eclipses that will be visible here in 2014.
Another full lunar eclipse will occur October 8, and the beginning of a partial solar eclipse can be seen on October 23.
Whether the moon appears in an orange or reddish hue or if it just appears dimmed depends on particles and clouds in the sky, much like sunrises and sunsets.
Where to see the eclipse
Continents seeing at least some parts of the eclipse:
West in Asia
East in North America
Parts of South America
Total eclipse visible in:
Locations near the shadow’s path:
Tarawa, Kiribati
Christchurch, New Zealand
Majuro, Marshall Islands
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
The first total lunar eclipse of 2014 will occur early morning on April 15 (photo NASA)
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Anadyr, Russia
Palikir, Ponape, Micronesia
Suva, Fiji
Unalaska, Alaska, US
Honiara, Solomon Islands
Midway, Midway Atoll, US
Port Vila, Vanuatu
Wake Island, Wake Island, US
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Yaren, Nauru
Noumea, New Caledonia, France
Funafuti, Tuvalu
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Partial eclipse visible in:
Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands
Guam (Hagåtña), Guam
Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia
Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia
Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia
Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
Manokwari, West Papua, Indonesia
Koror, Palau
Melekeok, Palau
Eucla, Western Australia, Australia
Sendai, Japan
Magadan, Russia
Kawasaki, Japan
Yokohama, Japan
Tokyo, Japan
Utsunomiya, Japan
Sagamihara, Japan
Sapporo, Japan
Shizuoka, Japan
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia
When the eclipse happens worldwide:
Lunar eclipses look approximately the same all over the world and happen at the same time.
The times displayed might be a minute or two off actual times.
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