LANSING, Mich. — The March full Moon officially arrives on Thursday night, and this time it's putting on a show we haven't seen since November 8, 2022. A total lunar eclipse will transform the full Moon into a blood moon, taking on a striking shade of red at its peak. You'll need to stay up late on Thursday night to catch it, but it will be worth it!
The eclipse officially begins at 11:57 PM Thursday, when the Moon begins to move into the outer portion of Earth's shadow, called the penumbra. For about the next hour, this will result in only a subtle darkening of the Moon.
At 1:09 AM, the Moon will begin to move into the inner portion of Earth's shadow, the umbra, and this is when the show will really get underway. Over the next 75 minutes, the Moon will be gradually be covered up by Earth's shadow, first darkening, and then slowly turning red as we reach totality beginning at 2:26 AM Friday.
Totality will last for just over an hour, with the Moon holding a blood red appearance throughout. The red shade comes from sunlight being refracted as is passes through Earth's atmosphere before reaching the Moon.
Totality ends at 3:31 AM, with the red color gradually fading as the Moon emerges from Earth's shadow, and normal moonlight returns starting on the Moon's northwestern limb. As the partial eclipse phase ends at 4:47 AM, the Moon will have regained most of it normal appearance, and then slightly brighten until 6:00 AM Friday when the event officially ends.
Weather this time of year in Michigan is often a toss-up for us, but we look to be in good shape! Clear to partly cloudy skies are expected throughout the Eclipse on Thursday night, with temperatures in the upper 30s to low 40s. Throw on a light jacket and simply look up! Happy viewing!
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