Washingtonians Could See Rare Spectacle Tonight

A blood moon is on the rise this evening.

No, there's no vampires or werewolves about tonight, sorry "Twighlight" fans.

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For the first time since 2022, there will be a total Lunar eclipse visible in North America.

For Wenatchee, you can view the "blood moon" around 10 p.m. this evening, with the total lunar eclipse starting between 11 and 11:30 p.m.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes into Earth's shadow and aligns itself with Earth and the sun.

Unlike a solar eclipse, you can look directly at the display without special devices and no harm to your eyes.

When the planet's shadow covers the moon as Earth passes between the moon and the sun, it produces a partial lunar eclipse. In a total lunar eclipse, like the one Thursday night into early Friday morning, the entire moon moves into the darkest part of the Earth's shadow.

When this happens, the Earth shifts in front of the sun, blocking its light, and the moon will appear a dark reddish-orange, which is where you get the nickname "blood moon."

Of course, you have to be able to see the moon to see this relatively rare spectacle.

Looking at the weather for this evening, you have a good chance if you're in the north central Washington area. Of course, the clouds have overtaken the region over the past few days, and looking ahead to the weekend, it looks like that will be the case.

For tonight, however, you should get enough respite to watch the blood moon take over.
NASA says there will not be another total lunar eclipse visible in the U.S. until March 2026.