Total lunar eclipse Sunday night
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) –The full moon on Sunday night will be a neat celestial show. A total lunar eclipse will occur across much of eastern United States including right here in Indiana.
This full moon is also considered a super moon. This is where the moon is at its perigee or closest to the Earth in its orbit. This makes the moon appear a little larger and brighter.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth is between the sun and moon. The Earth casts a shadow onto the moon and during totality takes on a red hue. The redness occurs from the same light scattering that creates the reds in the sunrises and sunsets. Some of the sunlight is cast on the moon and as it enters the Earth’s atmosphere it is scattered. The reds have a longer wavelength and pass through Earth’s atmosphere.
To view the total lunar eclipse take a look in the southern sky after sunset Sunday night. The eclipse begins around 9:32 pm. Totality begins at 11:29 pm and will continue through 12:53 am Monday. Totality lasts almost 85 minutes. The eclipse comes to an end at 2:50 am Monday.
The big question is if clouds will clear enough Sunday night to view this event. There is a chance rain comes to an end and we may see a few breaks in the clouds to view this eclipse.