According to meteorological forecasts, on Wednesday - the day of the total lunar eclipse - the weather will be favorable to catch a glimpse of a piece of the “bloody moon” in almost every corner of the United States.
On October 8, at 5.15 am ETD (9.15 GMT), the Moon will begin to move into the dark shadow of the Earth, signaling the beginning of a partial eclipse phase. The full phase should wait 70 minutes later. But in some regions of the United States it will be difficult to see the total lunar eclipse. These include New England, Central Rocky Mountains and deserts in the South-West of the country.
Watch as the moon enters Earth’s shadow during the total eclipse phase, best from the East Coast. Moving to the West, you will see the moon coming out of the “umbra” - the darkest part of the shadow of the Earth. If the weather makes it difficult to watch the eclipse live, you can watch three online broadcasts of this unique natural phenomenon on Space.com
Those who watch the eclipse from the earth will be able to see how the moon takes on a copper shade of red. This astronomical phenomenon is called “selenion” or “bloody moon”. This happens due to the fact that the satellite of the Earth first goes into the shadow, and then comes out of it, so even during the total eclipse the Moon will continue to emit a red glow. During a lunar eclipse in the Northeastern United States, a cold atmospheric front will cover the entire eastern part of New York State and the New England adjacent to it. Cloudiness and rain showers are expected in these regions. There is a possibility of strong thunderstorms over some parts of New England. In this weather, there is practically no chance of seeing a lunar eclipse. Further south and west, clouds can dissipate just in time for the beginning of the eclipse. In New York, Philadelphia and Washington, you can certainly watch the “bloody moon”, although many forecasters predict heavy clouds in these parts of the country.
As for the western states, the remnants of a tropical cyclone Simon will move to the northern part of the California Peninsula. Remains of a cyclone can cause heavy rains in southeastern California, across Arizona and in western New Mexico.
Clouds will drag the sky in most areas of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. Partly cloudy will occur in eastern Nevada, Texas and Oklahoma.
Bad weather for astronomical observations is expected on Wednesday on the coasts of Washington and Oregon (low clouds from the ocean), in southern Florida (overcast, heavy rain) and the upper peninsula of Michigan (overcast, rain). Cloudy on this day will be in some areas of the states of Arkansas, Tennessee, in the north of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. In the rest of the country, the weather will be favorable for observing the eclipse.
The author of the article, Joe Rao, works as an instructor and lectures at Hayden Planetarium (New York, USA). He writes about astronomy for the popular science journal Natural History, Farmer's Almanac magazine and other publications. He is also a leading weather forecast for News 12 Westchester (New York).
