We could get a glimpse of a total lunar eclipse late Thursday night into early Friday morning in Western Washington, though the chances for seeing the “blood red” moon during the period of total eclipse might be blocked by cloud cover.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the earth passes between the moon and the sun, placing the moon in the earth’s shadow. It is a far more common occurrence than a total solar eclipse.
The eclipse will begin just after 10 p.m. when a “shadow” will appear on the limb, or edge, of the moon and get bigger and bigger as more of the moon goes into the earth’s shadow. This is called a partial eclipse.
Total eclipse will begin at 11:26 p.m. and last until 12:31 a.m., when the moon is entirely in the earth’s shadow. The moon will still receive a small amount of sunlight and this will make the moon appear a deep, dark red color.
The moon will begin to brighten after 12:31 a.m. as it moves out of the earth’s shadow and the partial eclipse will end after the 1 p.m. hour.
KIRO 7 Chief Meteorologist Morgan Palmer says cloud cover will be abundant during the eclipse time, but there will likely be some breaks at times, for at least some brief glimpses of the eclipse.
The next total lunar eclipse visible in Western Washington will be in March 2026, though will be far more brief.