Early risers may be treated to a celestial phenomenon Tuesday morning. If the weather cooperates, a total lunar eclipse will be visible over Southeast Wisconsin!
Weather conditions: Skies will be partly cloudy early Tuesday morning. At times, skies may be mostly cloudy or mostly clear. It's likely that the amount of cloud cover will fluctuate during the early morning hours. Temperatures will be in the upper 30s and low 40s.
What: A total lunar eclipse happens when the moon enters the Earth's shadow, causing the moon to turn a reddish hue. Lunar eclipses only happen when there is a full moon. The November full moon is known as the Full Beaver Moon.
The animation below shows a top-down view of a total lunar eclipse. The sun, the Earth, and the moon all have to line up just right for the eclipse to occur. As the moon revolves around the Earth, it enters the Earth's shadow, creating an eclipse.
When: Very early Tuesday morning. The partial eclipse will begin at 3:09 a.m. when the moon begins to move into the Earth's umbra or shadow. The total eclipse will begin at 4:16 a.m. (when the moon is fully within the Earth's shadow), peak at 4:59 a.m., and end at 5:41 a.m. Then, the moon will begin to move out of Earth's shadow, with the moon setting at 6:44 a.m.
Where to look: The western sky. As the partial eclipse starts, the moon's altitude will be around 36° and will get progressively lower on the horizon through the event. There is no special equipment needed to see the lunar eclipse.
If you miss it: According to NASA, the next total lunar eclipse will be on March 14, 2025.
