Can you see lunar eclipse

While you're outside, you can always look at other celestial events. Venus, Jupiter and Saturn are highly visible in the night sky right now, and if you stay out long enough, you'll see Mars rise in the morning.

The Leonids will peak on Thursday Nov, 18 and will still be visible, although the full moon will wash out most meteors during brighter phases of the eclipse. Editor's Note: If you snap an amazing lunar eclipse photo and would like to share it with Space. Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter howellspace. Follow us on Twitter Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more!

And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community space. Elizabeth Howell is a contributing writer for Space. She is the author or co-author of several books on space exploration. Elizabeth holds a Ph. She also holds a bachelor of journalism degree from Carleton University in Canada, where she began her space-writing career in Besides writing, Elizabeth teaches communications at the university and community college level, and for government training schools.

To see her latest projects, follow Elizabeth on Twitter at howellspace. The eclipse happened during the first full moon of the year, earning it the nickname 'Super Wolf Blood Moon'. Royal Observatory Greenwich broadcast a live stream of the total eclipse via Facebook.

Watch the video back below. A lunar eclipse happens between two to five times a year, with a total lunar eclipse occurring at least two every three years. A lunar eclipse occurs during the full moon phase but an eclipse does not happen every month, even though the lunar cycle is This means that as it travels around the Earth it also moves up and down in its orbit. Since the Earth is around four times wider than the Moon, its shadow can darken the moon for up to five hours depending on conditions.

Total lunar eclipses are much rarer from one particular location. When the moon is close to perigee, the closest point to Earth in its orbit, it makes the moon appear slightly larger than usual. Find out more about supermoons.

Dust in the atmosphere blocks out the higher frequency blue light waves, but the longer wavelength of red light comes through. How to see the Super Flower Blood Moon. Let our practical astronomy guides, approved by Royal Observatory astronomers, help you navigate the night sky. You won't need a telescope or binoculars — simply go outside and look up at the sky any time between a. Or if you don't want to head into the chilly morning air, catch a live stream of the event here.

Folks in South America and western Europe will see most of the eclipse, though the moon will set before it ends. People in western Asia and Oceania will miss the earlier part of the event, as the moon will not have risen yet. Those living in Africa and the Middle East won't see any of the spectacle. If you miss the eclipse, don't fret. After this, NASA predicts another eclipses in the next eight decades, with an average of two per year.

The next eclipse will happen on May 16, Typically, the moon's white-grey face is illuminated by sunlight reflecting off its surface. It's also a lot easier to see a total lunar eclipse than its solar equivalent! A lunar eclipse always occurs at night, during a Full Moon ; you should be able to see the eclipse if it occurs during your nighttime, and you have a view of the Moon. But what you will see depends on the specific type of the eclipse.

By the way, since a lunar eclipse occurs at night, when the Sun isn't around, it's always safe to look at a lunar eclipse. As described in Mechanics of Lunar Eclipses , the Earth's shadow during a lunar eclipse has two parts: the penumbra , where the Sun's light is only partly blocked from the Moon; and the umbra , where the Earth totally blocks the Sun's light.

If the Moon touches the penumbra, a penumbral eclipse will be seen although, in practice, this type of eclipse is subtle; most penumbral eclipses can't bee seen with the naked eye ; if the Moon touches the umbra, a partial umbral eclipse will be seen; and if the Moon completely enters the umbra, the result is a total umbral eclipse , or total lunar eclipse.

A total eclipse is always preceded and followed by a partial eclipse; which is in turn preceded and followed by a penumbral eclipse. Hence, we say that a total eclipse goes through a penumbral stage, then a partial stage, then the total stage, then partial, then penumbral, before finishing. The penumbral stage of a lunar eclipse or a lunar eclipse that is only penumbral is essentially impossible to see, unless the Moon is deeply inside the penumbral shadow; even then, all parts of the Moon are still receiving light from the Sun, and therefore quite bright.

Still, in a deep penumbral eclipse, sharp-eyed observers should see a subtle but distinct shading across the Moon at maximum eclipse.