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Eclipse Will Create 'Blood Moon' Early Wednesday Morning

Blood Moon
Alfredo Garcia Jr/WikiMedia Commons

If you'll be up around 5:15 Wednesday morning, be sure to step outside and look into the western sky.  You'll see the beginning of a lunar eclipse, which will cast an organge-ish glow on the moon as the earth moves between it and the sun.

Sherzer Observatory on the Eastern Michigan University campus.
Credit Bob Eccles
/
89.1 WEMU
Eastern Michigan University's Sherzer Observatory.

The so-called "Blood Moon," or "Pumpkin Moon," if you prefer, is something that we've seen fairly often this year. 

Norbert Vance is Director of Sherzer Observatory at Eastern Michigan University.  He says we're in the midst of what you might call eclipse season.

"There has already been an eclipse back earlier in April, the one overnight, and then a few more this coming year," Vance says. "We're actually pretty fortunate the number of eclipses that are occuring.  They tend to come in clusters like this as all the parties involved are aligned in just the right way."

Unfortunately, we won't get to watch the eclipse from start to finish.  The moon will drop below the horizon before the event is over. 

SEE ALSO:  'Blood Moon' Eclipse To Be Visible Throughout U.S.

 

The best place for seeing the whole thing?  Hawaii.  But if you can't drop everything and fly out there you can check out the eclipse with the Sherzer Observatory telescope Wednesday morning. 

There will also be viewings from the third flood of EMU's Mark Jefferson Science Complex, where the planetarium has a couple of cool movies showing Tuesday night: "Back to the Moon: For Good" and "Saturn: Jewel of the Heavens" starting at seven.