Last total lunar eclipse for 3 years happening next week

NASA says the last total lunar eclipse for three years will occur next week with another one not happening until March 2025.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align so that the Moon sits in the Earth’s shadow.

The total lunar eclipse happens on Nov. 8 with the next not occurring until March 14, 2025. We will continue to see partial and penumbral lunar eclipses during that time.

In a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra. When the Moon is within the umbra, it will appear slightly red.

The Moon turns red because the only sunlight reaching the Moon passes through Earth’s atmosphere.

When the Sun is overhead, we see blue light throughout the sky. But when the Sun is setting, sunlight must pass through more atmosphere and travel farther before reaching our eyes.

The blue light from the Sun scatters away, and longer-wavelength red, orange, and yellow light pass through.

The more dust or clouds in Earth’s atmosphere during the eclipse, the redder the Moon will appear. It’s as if all the world’s sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the Moon.

Lunar eclipses are sometimes called “Blood Moons” because of this colour change phenomenon.

Totality ― the stage of the eclipse where the Moon is entirely in Earth’s shadow ― will be visible across North and Central America and in Ecuador, Colombia, and western portions of Venezuela and Peru.

A dark environment away from bright lights makes for the best viewing conditions