2014 Moon Eclipse: How To Watch Blood Moon Eclipse Live Online
The first moon eclipse of 2014 is on the way on Monday, and though it will only be viewable from North America, anyone with a computer will be able to watch the rare event live online through the magic of streaming video.
The 2014 moon eclipse is set to start at 11:58 pm ET on Monday and end at about 3:33 am ET. This type of lunar eclipse can only happen at a full moon, and during the event itself the moon will gradually enter into the earth’s shadow.
During the first phase, which last from about midnight until 1:06 am, the moon will enter the dark portion of the Earth’s shadow. This is known as the partial phase of the lunar eclipse.
The 2014 moon eclipse will then move into the total lunar eclipse, with the moon gradually becoming covered in the Earth’s shadow. This will last for close to 90 minutes, ending at 2:24 am. For the next hour after that the moon will move out of the Earth’s shadow.
Space.com offered a full guide of what viewers of the 2014 moon eclipse can expect throughout all the phases, including the exciting moment when the moon dips behind the shadow completely.
“Several minutes before (and after) totality, the contrast between the remaining pale-yellow sliver and the ruddy-brown coloration spread over the rest of the moon’s disk,” the report noted. “This may produce a beautiful phenomenon known to some as the ‘Japanese lantern effect.’ ”
The event is a rare type of eclipse that can go centuries between occurrences, including 300 years between 1600 and 1900. But Fred Espenak, who works for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said they are set to happen more frequently this century.
“Frequency sort of goes through 585-year cycles,” the astrophysicist explains. “So you go through centuries where you don’t have any, and centuries where you have a number of them.”
Those who want to watch the 2014 moon eclipse live online can click here for coverage courtesy of NASA, the Slooh community telescope and the Virtual Telescope Project.
