The moon will look blood red Sunday night because of a lunar eclipse. The partial eclipse will start around 7:30pm Sunday evening, and will be a total lunar eclipse about an hour later at 8:30pm. The partial lunar eclipse will end a few minutes before 11pm Sunday night. A lunar eclipse happens when the moon travels through the earth’s shadow. According to NASA, a total eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the darkest part of the earth’s shadow, which is called the umbra. It is at this time that the moon will turn a pinkish/reddish color. This is called a blood moon. According to NASA, the moon appears red because as the sun’s rays hits the earth, the colors blue and green are scattered, leaving behind orange and red wavelengths. This is called Rayleigh scattering. Clouds or dust in the air can make the blood moon more vibrant.
There will be a few clouds Sunday evening and night, but not enough to block the moon completely. You should be able to see the eclipse with the naked eye, but a telescope or pair of binoculars will make it even more special. Those along the east coast will have a better viewing of the eclipse because they are three hours ahead of us. It will still be a little light out in Reno when the partial eclipse starts. According to NASA, the world sees about four to seven eclipses each year. For the best viewing you'll want to get away from city life and camp out in a dark area away from lights. Enjoy! You can send photos to aschilling@ktvn.com.
