Early risers on Tuesday, March 3, will have a chance to see the moon turn blood red due to a total lunar eclipse. For a lunar eclipse, you do not need glasses or any special equipment. Just look to the western sky starting at 4:04 AM Mountain Time! The eclipse will last for about 58 minutes.
During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, causing the Earth to cast a shadow on the Moon. As sunlight passes through Earth's atmosphere, blue light is scattered more easily than red light. The red light passes through the atmosphere and reaches the Moon's surface, giving it a blood-red glow. According to NASA, "It's as if all the world's sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the Moon."
A partial eclipse begins at 1:44 a.m., when a dark "bite" starts to appear on the Moon's surface. The totality of the eclipse will be at 4:33 a.m., when you'll see the full blood moon effect.
The cloud cover forecast for early Tuesday morning in Montana looks excellent, with little to no clouds east of the Divide. Partly cloudy skies are likely in western Montana during the eclipse.
The next total lunar eclipse won't occur again until June 26, 2029 for the United States.
