Updated 01:33 AM EDT, Fri, Mar 29, 2024

Lunar Eclipse October 2014 Dates, Schedule and Viewing Time: How and Where to Watch Rare Blood Moon in the U.S. [Livestream]

  • +
  • -
  • Sign up to receive the lastest news from LATINONE

On Wednesday, Oct. 8 2014, people across the Americas, Australia, Western Asia and the Pacific are bound to witness an extraordinary, total lunar eclipse. The celestial event will allow the moon to pass through the earth's shadow--but things don't end there.

A rare phenomenon called the "Blood Moon" will be happening, an event that coincides with the rising (or setting) of the sun. According to Forbes, the "Blood Moon" is scientifically known as the "selenelion," and it will be seen all over America on Wednesday morning.

Basically, the eclipsed moon and the sun will be visible at the same time.

Space.com reported that viewers can watch the live webcasts of the eclipse from NASA and the Slooh Community Observatory. Featuring a talk with moon experts, NASA airs its webcast on Oct. 8, beginning at 3 a.m. EDT (0700 GMT). Slooh streams its webcast on the same day at 5 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT).

The source added that Wednesday's lunar eclipse is part of the "lunar eclipse tetrad." With the first total eclipse of the moon occurring in April, the upcoming event comes second of the four consecutive total eclipses.

It must be noted that during a lunar eclipse, the moon and the sun are precisely 180 degrees apart--meaning, they are in exactly aligned. This makes the selenelion a truly rare circumstance. Apparently, the science behind the mystery lies in the ability of our own atmosphere of refracting the images of the two heavenly bodies above horizon.

A total lunar eclipse runs in five stages, as reported by Sky & Telescope. The whole course of the event could last up to three hours, while the following "Blood Moon" may opt a very brief viewing time of less than ten minutes. The lunar eclipse follows:

08:14 UT (4:45 a.m. EDT): The moon enters the Penumbral Stage. This is an unobservable occurrence that takes place when the moon's edge enters the outer fringe of the earth's shadow.

09:15 UT (5:15 a.m. EDT): The Partial Eclipse follows. Here, the moon's leading (eastern) edge enters the Earth's central shadow (umbra)-where there is no direct sunlight.

10:25 - 11:24 UT (6:25 a.m. - 7:24 a.m. EDT): The moon enters the Total Eclipse stage, which is roughly composed of three substages. The sun is completely obstructed, giving the moon a reddish glow. It will last for 59 minutes on Oct. 8.

11:24 - 12:34 UT: The stages are reversed; the moon comes into Partial Eclipse again as it leaves the sunlight.

12:34 - 13:34 UT: The last events take place when the moon escapes the umbra.

The next eclipse will be in March 2015, a total solar.

Watch the live webcast from NASA and Slooh.

© 2015 Latin One. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
  • Sign up to receive the lastest news from LATINONE
Close

Curiosidades

Real Time Analytics