Very early Tuesday morning, when most people are sound asleep, there will be a lunar eclipse. The moon which begins in the evening as a brilliant full moon capable of casting a shadow, will darken as it passes through earth’s shadow. Over the span of several hours, the moon will fade, its light almost extinguished. At its dimmest, the moon will look like a darkened pumpkin.

Coincidentally, the bright red planet Mars is nearby. Mars is in opposition, closer to the earth and brilliant.

The eclipse begins at 1:20 a.m., when the moon enters the penumbra, a barely visible edge to the earth’s shadow. About 20 minutes later the moon touches the umbra, the darkest part of the shadow. Watching the moon enter the umbra is far more noticeable. One side of the moon will start to darken.

Mid-eclipse is that moment when the moon is fully surrounded by the earth’s dark shadow. It is darkest at 3:46 a.m. Tuesday morning.

So from roughly 1 a.m. in the morning to almost four hours later, the moon changes from a brilliant full moon to a faint remnant. The moon enters the darkest part of the shadow, called the umbra, at 3:07 a.m.

The moon’s color during a total lunar eclipse is usually a shade of orange, or even a dark brown.

The orange comes from a string of sunrises and sunsets taking place all around the earth.

If you were standing on the surface of the moon during this eclipse, you’d notice that with the sun hidden behind the earth, the edge of the earth is glowing.

Total eclipse begins at 3:07 a.m. and ends at 4:25 a.m., at the start of dawn. Sunrise is at 6:02 a.m.

M.A.L.