October 8 Total Lunar Eclipse – Blood Moon 4


On October 8, there will be a total lunar eclipse taking place over the Pacific Ocean. This eclipse will be a “Blood Moon” eclipse where the Moon will take on a reddish orange tint during totality.

Visibility Lunar Eclipse 2014 10-08

Visibility Map of October 2014 Total Lunar Eclipse. Credit: NASA

Viewers on the West Coast of the United States and Canada will be able to view the entire eclipse. Unfortunately for viewers on the East Coast, only part of the eclipse will be viewable since the Moon will have already set. Viewers in Alaska, Hawaii, New Zealand and the Easternmost parts of Australia will be able to watch the entire show.

The visible part of the eclipse begins at 8:15 AM UT (Universal Time) when the penumbra of the Earth’s shadow will begin covering the face of the Moon. Totality will occur from 10:25 AM UT until 11:24 AM UT. The final phase of the penumbra will be at 9:33 AM UT.

For those that don’t know where they are in relation to GMT times, here’s a handy guide:

ADT (Atlantic Daylight Time) = UT – 3 hours
EDT (Eastern Daylight Time) = UT – 4 hours
CDT (Central Daylight Time) = UT – 5 hours
MDT (Mountain Daylight Time) = UT – 6 hours
PDT (Pacific  Daylight Time) = UT – 7 hours
AKDT (Alaska Daylight Time) = UT – 8 hours
HDT (Hawaii Daylight Time) = UT – 9 hours

The planet Uranus will make an appearance during this eclipse. Depending on your location, you should be able to spot Uranus with a good pair of binoculars just above and to the left of the Moon.

Have fun watching!


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