Take a nap, set your alarms and get ready to witness a total lunar eclipse during Friday’s early morning hours.
Just after midnight, the moon will begin its descent into the dark realms of the earth’s shadow, or umbra, transforming into a flaming, coppery red orb for all viewers in Maine — let alone the rest of the continent.
On the east coast, the full moon’s several-hour journey toward totality — or a total lunar eclipse — will begin just after midnight. It will reach totality by 2:26 a.m. and last for about an hour.
For the first time in three years, the total lunar eclipse — also known as the blood moon — will be visible to all of North America, along with parts of Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, the Pacific and Africa, according to Space.com.
Viewers will also be able to catch glimpses of the planets Jupiter and Mars, according to NASA. Furthermore, the moon will appear over the constellation Leo — under the lion’s hind paw — at the beginning of the eclipse, and it will cross into Virgo as it nears totality.
The total lunar eclipse comes 11 months after the heady 2024 total solar eclipse that inspired more 200,000 people to travel to or around Maine.
Parts of northern and western Maine were among the best places in the nation to see the 2024 celestial event.
In Houlton, town planners spent two years preparing for the total solar eclipse, which brought 25,000 visitors. But this year, local officials are taking a bit of an eclipse break, with no planned events for the total lunar eclipse.
According to NASA, a lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes into earth’s shadow, causing it to transform from its mottled white color to a haunting blood red.
Much like during last year’s total solar eclipse, the weather for most of Maine is predicted to be good for viewing, with clouds only predicted for the coast and the rest of the state clear.
Unlike last year, no special eye protection is needed to view the lunar eclipse.
Superstitions and mythology have long attempted to explain the appearance of the blood moon, with many pointing to biblical omens or predictions of change on the horizon. But scientists say the color is the result of scattered wavelengths of sun during the eclipse.
