There’s total lunar eclipse occurring on 8 November 2022 and it will be visible in North America, South America, Australia and much of Asia.
Unlike a solar eclipse, there is no danger associated with viewing a total lunar eclipse and so the event can be safely seen with the naked eye.
There’s no need to use binoculars or a telescope to observe the lunar eclipse, but it won’t cause any harm to do so, and may even enhance your observing experience.
The bad news for those in the UK, Ireland and Europe, however, is that the 8 November total lunar eclipse will not be visible from there.
Some of the eclipse will be visible from northern Scandinavia and parts of eastern Europe.
Find out when the next eclipse is occurring or sign up to receive the BBC Sky at Night Magazine e-newsletter for weekly astronomy and observing advice.
The above video is a NASA animated map showing the regions from where the 8 November 2022 lunar eclipse is visible.
Contours mark the edge of the visibility region at eclipse contact times.
Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio
At 09:09 UTC (04:09 EDT), first umbral contact occurs and the partial stage of the eclipse begins.
It will look like a bite is being taken out of the Moon.
In the run-up to this stage, part of the Moon’s disc will begin to appear darker than usual.
This is because the edge of the umbra (the inner section of total darkness) is blurred rather than sharp, creating a fuzzy shaded edge as the eclipse begins to take shape.
You can see an animation showing the stages of the 8 November total lunar eclipse via this NASA video:
Totality begins at 10:17 UTC (05:17 EDT), and this is the moment we’ve all been waiting for, when the Moon is within Earth’s umbra and it turns rusty red.
This is the point at which binoculars or a telescope will really help appreciate the mesmerising effects of the total lunar eclipse.
Totality will end at 11:42 UTC (06:42 EDT), and the red tint to the Moon will begin to fade.
By 12:49 UTC the partial eclipse will have ended, and by 13:50 UTC, the lunar eclipse will be over.
For those observing in the EDT time zone, the Moon will have set below the horizon for these last two stages.
For more info, there’s a fantastic NASA page on the 8 November total lunar eclipse that’s well worth checking out.
