How to use the moon on Feb. 4 to plan your view of March’s total lunar eclipse

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The Sundarban The Sundarban A series of gray circles of the moon imposed upon each other with a red circle in the middle showing a total lunar eclipse

Sequence of eclipse phases all over the total lunar eclipse on Might possibly well additionally 26, 2021
(Image credit: Chasing Light – Photography by James Stone james-stone.com/Getty Photographs)

Ought to the weather be optimistic early on Tuesday morning, March 3, sky watchers at some stage in most of the Americas would possibly possibly possibly per chance gain a probability to view one of nature’s most handsome spectacles: A total eclipse of the moon.

In contrast to a total eclipse of the solar, which often requires a long hasten to the route of totality, these of the moon can assuredly be observed from one’s own yard. The passage of the moon thru the Earth’s shadow is equally visible from all locations within the hemisphere the set up the moon is above the horizon. This occasion favors locations reach and around the Pacific Rim. For North The US, locations within the Eastern Time Zone will look the moon instruct for the duration of morning time’s early gentle for the duration of the total segment; locations farther west will obtain a method to catch the moon emerging from the Earth’s shadow because it gadgets, whereas for sites out in the Some distance West, the eclipse will be visible from delivery to get. Hawaiians will look the moon virtually overhead as totality takes plot in the hours after midnight. In the intervening time, for the duration of native evening hours, Central Asia and western Australia will look the moon upward push because it emerges from the Earth’s dark shadow. Eastern Australia, Papua Unique Guinea, as neatly as grand of Japan and eastern Siberia, will look it obsessed on the duration of convenient evening hours.

Where will the moon be?

It be no longer too early to delivery making ready for viewing next month’s total lunar eclipse. One of the issues to consider is the moon’s location in the sky for the duration of the eclipse. As now we gain considerable, for fogeys that stay in the eastern U.S. and Canada, this would possibly possibly additionally be an foremost factor, since the moon will be bright into totality because it approaches its environment. Will gargantuan trees or within sight constructions block your view of the moon?

The Sundarban A large yellow moon glows in a pink night sky behind a series of bare trees with a dark house in the bottom left of the image

Use Feb. 4 to check in case you would possibly possibly possibly per chance want gotten a correct view of the moon with out a trees blockading your view. (Image credit: M.A.Ortega/Getty Photographs)

You will obtain a method to salvage a very correct belief about the set up the moon will be in the sky for the duration of the eclipse by purchasing for it on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Early that morning, the moon — 2½ days previous corpulent — will be very reach to that region of the sky the set up this would possibly possibly additionally be on March 3 for the eclipse. Nevertheless on Feb. 4, rather than purchasing for the moon at the prescribed occasions given for March 3, you would possibly possibly possibly per chance want to survey two hours and 8 minutes later.

As an instance, on March 3, for an observer in Salt Lake Metropolis, the moon will delivery to enter the dark central shadow of Earth (known as the umbra) at 2:49 a.m. Mountain Time. At that moment, the moon will stand 44° above the southwest horizon; that’s roughly midway up in the sky.

Now, on Wednesday, Feb. 4, in case you add 2 hours 8 minutes to 2:49 a.m., you would possibly possibly possibly per chance give you 4:57 a.m. At that hour, on that morning, you would possibly possibly possibly per chance obtain a method to salvage a very correct approximation of the set up the moon will be in the sky at the delivery of the eclipse as considered from Salt Lake Metropolis.

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This methodology will be specifically critical for easterners who would possibly possibly possibly per chance per chance want to decide roughly the set up the moon will be relative to their western horizon (and native landmarks) because it gadgets for the duration of the total segment of the eclipse. The desk under offers itsy-bitsy print on the corresponding positions of the moon on Feb. 4, relative to the set up this would possibly possibly appear in the sky for diverse phases of the eclipse on March 3.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Moon’s eclipse location on Feb. 4, 2026Header Cell – Column 0

EST

CST

MST

PST

Eclipse Starts

6:57 a.m.

5:57 a.m.

4:57 a.m.

3:57 a.m.

Totality Starts

8:11 a.m.

7:11 a.m.

6:11 a.m.

5:11 a.m.

Mid-Eclipse

8:41 a.m.

7:41 a.m.

6:41 a.m.

5:41 a.m.

Totality Ends

9:10 a.m.

8:10 a.m.

7:10 a.m.

6:10 a.m.

Eclipse Ends

Now not visible

9:25 a.m.

8:25 a.m.

7:25 a.m.

Dangle repeat that in case you stay in the Eastern Time Zone, the farther to the west you inch, the greater in the sky the moon will appear and the longer it’s far doubtless for you to to prolong your view of the totally eclipsed moon earlier than it gadgets. As an illustration, from Portland, Maine, the moon will instruct only one minute after the delivery of totality. Nevertheless, as considered from Indianapolis, Indiana — which also observes Eastern Time, nevertheless is positioned 860 miles (1,380 km) to the west — the total total segment will be visible, with the moon no longer environment until 5 minutes after totality ends.

House.com will provide more itsy-bitsy print about the lunar eclipse in the weeks to come, so conclude tuned!

Joe Rao is House.com’s skywatching columnist, as neatly as a feeble meteorologist and eclipse chaser who also serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at Unique York’s Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History journal, Sky & Telescope and other publications. Joe is an 8-time Emmy-nominated meteorologist who served the Putnam Valley region of Unique York for over 21 years. You will obtain a method to obtain him on Twitter and YouTube tracking lunar and photo voltaic eclipses, meteor showers and more. To obtain out Joe’s most modern mission, consult with him on Twitter.

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