In case you missed the one in April, you have another chance in October:
Who will see the October 7-8 total lunar eclipse?
The October 2014 full moon passes directly through Earth’s dark (umbral) shadow. The total part of the April 8 eclipse lasts nearly 1 hour. A partial umbral eclipse precedes totality by about one hour and 10 minutes, and follows totality by about the same period of time, so the moon takes about 3 and 1/3 hours to completely sweep through the Earth’s dark shadow.
North and South America, the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand, Australia and eastern Asia are in a good position worldwide to watch the total eclipse of the moon on October 8. If you live in the Americas or Hawaii, the total eclipse happens before sunrise October 8. In the world’s eastern hemisphere, the total eclipse happens after sunset October 8.
A very light penumbral eclipse comes before and after the dark (umbral) stage of the lunar eclipse. But this sort of eclipse is so faint that many people won’t even notice it. The penumbral eclipse would be more fun to watch from the moon, where it would be seen as a partial eclipse of the sun.
Who will see the partial lunar eclipse on October 8?
A partial lunar eclipse may be visible in the haze of morning dawn from the extreme eastern portion of North America (Newfoundland), before sunrise on October 8. A partial lunar eclipse can also be observed from western Asia (eastern India, Nepal, western China) after sunset on October 8.
