Lunar eclipse visible Fourth of July weekend

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The moon will pass through parts of Earth’s shadow this weekend, providing some extra beauty in the skies July 4 night.

Late Saturday night, the eclipse will be visible for much of the western hemisphere, including all of North and South America. With dry conditions and relatively clear skies in the forecast for Saturday night across central Indiana, viewing conditions should be excellent.

This won’t be a full lunar eclipse. This is called a “penumbral” lunar eclipse. The difference between penumbral and total or partial eclipses is that the Earth’s outermost shadow or the penumbra falls on the face of the Moon. This makes for a more subtle shadow over the moon compared to a sharp shadow during a partial eclipse, making it a bit more difficult to observe.

Those that wish to take a peek at this event should look between the hours of 11:00 PM EDT Saturday, July 4 to 1:50 AM EDT Sunday, July 5, with the peak viewing around 12:30 AM EDT.

This is the first lunar eclipse since 2019. The next eclipse will also be a penumbral eclipse, slated for November.