Cloud cover could spoil total lunar eclipse viewing in Philly region
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — For the first time since 2022, stargazers will be treated to a total lunar eclipse in the early morning hours of March 14.
“This is something that anyone can experience with just the telescopes that they are born with — their eyes,” Deborah Skapik, an adjunct professor in the physics and astronomy department at St. Joe’s University, told Action News on Thursday afternoon.
Skapik, who is also trained in eclipse education, explained the science behind this celestial phenomenon.
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“The moon will be moving into its full phase. And when it does that, it’s going to be moving into the Earth’s shadow,” she said. “So the sunlight is being cast over the Earth, and the Earth’s shadow is being cast onto the moon.”
Starting at 1 a.m. Friday, Skapik said the moon will begin to disappear as it falls into Earth’s shadow.
She then explained, “About 2:26, when the moon is completely gone, all of a sudden it will take on this red, orange color.”
According to NASA, lunar eclipses like this one are called “blood moons” because of the color.
People don’t need special glasses or equipment to see the eclipse, but they do need a break from the cloud cover, which could be an issue in the Delaware Valley.
Action News Chief Meteorologist Cecily Tynan explained during Thursday evening’s newscast the eclipse will reach totality between 2:26 a.m. and 3:31 a.m. Friday morning.
“Unfortunately by then, the clouds will have taken over,” she said.
While people in the Philadelphia area could have issues viewing the eclipse, the 6abc weather team said people in the Allentown and Reading areas could be in the clear to see it.
If we somehow get a lucky break from the clouds, Skapik said this is a view people won’t want to miss.
“It unifies us because we’re all underneath the same sun and moon. The entire hemisphere of Earth can see this.”
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