Last total lunar eclipse for three years arrives Tuesday at 10:31 p.m. EST.
For the first time, the Moon will pass almost directly through the Earth’s shadow as that happens, making it a total lunar eclipse. The Moon, a planet in our solar system, will be totally covered in dark shadows — or, in lunar terms, a moonlight eclipse.
During the total lunar eclipse, millions of people around Earth will be able to see the Moon passing directly in front of the sun. Depending on your location, if you are inside or outside the United States, the eclipse will take place at different times.
In the United States: The total eclipse is best viewed in the northern half of the continental United States. The shadow will not reach the Pacific Ocean region.
In the northern half of the continental U.S. The eclipse will not reach the Pacific Ocean region. In South America: The total eclipse will be visible from Ecuador, Peru and Chile. In Africa: The total eclipse will be visible from Mauritania and Senegal.
For those viewing the eclipse on the night side, the moon is visible from a distance of about 5½ times the moon’s diameter.
According to the solar system’s rules, the moon always orbits around the Earth at roughly the same distance, so that a total eclipse of the Earth is only possible every other year. In other words, every 50 years, the moon moves between the Earth and sun more closely than it did the preceding year.
But in fact, the orbits of both the Earth and moon periodically cross. There are 11 total lunar eclipses over the past three millennia, and the next one is scheduled for September 2020.
On Earth: The eclipse is visible in the United States, Greenland, North America, Greenland, Africa, South America, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina.
The eclipse is visible in the United States, Greenland, North America, Greenland, Africa, South America, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina. In other parts of the world: An eclipse will be visible in Mauritania, Senegal, Ethiopia,
