Washington and many North Americans will see a total lunar eclipse early Tuesday, May 15, 2014. This is the first of the four total lunar eclipses occurring between 2014 and autumn 2015.
The moon will be appearing with a red tint between 3:07 a.m. and 4:25 a.m. to the southern sky. Total lunar eclipses are safe to watch as the Earth sits between the sun and moon causing a shading sunlight on the full moon.
The partial eclipse phase starts at 1:58 a.m. where the moon enters Earth’s umbral shadow. Sky gazers can notice a shadow crossing the moon which is for in totality at 3:07 a.m., lasting for 78 minutes in red-orange hues. The totality ends at 4:25 a.m. and the moon which is fully immersed in Earth’s umbral shadow enters the partial phase once again with shadow lines. This second partial eclipse phase ends at 5:33 a.m.
Clouds may may obscure the view in the D.C. area. However if weather is favorable, you can watch the total lunar eclipse at Slooh.com. The next total lunar eclipses will occur on Oct. 8, 2014, April 4, 2015 and Sept. 28, 2015. For Washington, Tuesday’s eclipse and the September 2015 eclipse are better events.