A total lunar eclipse will be visible in the early morning hours on Tuesday in parts of Alabama.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon is blocked by the Earth’s shadow, possibly when the sun, Earth and moon become closely aligned with the Earth in the middle. It can only happen when there’s a full moon.
A total lunar eclipse causes the moon to appear bright red. This is because the Earth completely blocks direct sunlight from reaching the moon. The light that reaches the moon’s surface is refracted from the Earth’s atmosphere, appearing red, similar to a sunset or sunrise.
Lunar eclipses can only be viewed anywhere on the night side of the Earth, unlike a solar eclipse, where the moon blocks the sun and can only be seen in certain locations.
According to reports, this might be the last lunar eclipse until 2025.
There will be a total solar eclipse in North America on April 8, 2024, but it won’t be completely visible in Alabama. Areas of North Alabama should, however, get to experience an 85% to 90% eclipse.
In central Alabama, the lunar eclipse will begin a little after 2 a.m. and end around 8 a.m. However, the moon will set at around 6:15 a.m., so the last 100 minutes or so will not be visible in the state.
The peak stage of the lunar eclipse will occur at around 5 a.m. in Montgomery.
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