Wake up early Wednesday for a rare ‘blood moon’
Set the alarm for a little bit earlier Wednesday because a rare cosmic sight will take place around sunrise.
Early risers will be able to see a total lunar eclipse that will turn the moon a deep red color.
And sky watchers living east of the Mississippi River will be able to see the unusual sight of a setting total eclipsed moon and a rising sun simultaneously.
In Kansas City, the total eclipse ends about an hour before sunrise, but people will still be able to catch the setting of the partial eclipsed moon and the rising sun.
“The partial phase will still be going on, so you should still be able to see the shadow outline,” said Joseph Wright, operations manager of the Warkoczewski Observatory at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
The moon will be changing colors from the red to white as the sun comes up and the eclipse ends.
This is the second of a lunar eclipse tetrad, a series of four consecutive total eclipses.
The first was on April 15. The remaining two are next year on April 4 and Sept. 28.
The partial eclipse begins about 4:14 a.m. Wednesday with the total eclipse beginning at 5:25 a.m. and lasting until 6:25 a.m. The partial eclipse will end at 7:34 a.m.
“You do not need special equipment to see the eclipse,” Wright said. “It’s a really great event that you can watch without a telescope.”
To see the eclipse, people should look to the west.
“The biggest light in the air — it’s the moon,” he said.
The weather is likely to cooperate with viewing the eclipse, said Joey Welsh, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“It looks like we will be able to see the eclipse, except for a few passing clouds around that time,” Welsh said. “The clouds will come and go intermittently.”
The moon will be low on the western horizon, so people might not be able to see it if their view is obstructed by trees or buildings.
Because the moon is low, however, it will have the illusion that it is bigger.
Because temperatures should be in the low to mid 50s, a light jacket might needed, Welsh said.
And, because of the timing, coffee.
To reach Robert A. Cronkleton, call 816-234-4261 or send email to bcronkleton@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published October 7, 2014 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Wake up early Wednesday for a rare ‘blood moon’."