A ‘blood moon’ will be visible this weekend thanks to a total lunar eclipse.  Here’s how to make sure you don’t miss it:

The eclipse will begin around 9:30pm Sunday, and reach totality – with the entire Moon inside the Earth’s penumbra – at roughly 10:30pm with maximum Super Blood Moon action around 11:11 p.m.

When the Eclipse Happens — Timeline (from TimeAndDate.com)

Lunar eclipses can be visible from everywhere on the night side of the Earth, if the sky is clear. From some places the entire eclipse will be visible, while in other areas the Moon will rise or set during the eclipse.

Event Time Western Suburbs*
Penumbral Eclipse begins May 15 at 8:32:05 pm
Partial Eclipse begins May 15 at 9:27:52 pm
Full Eclipse begins May 15 at 10:29:03 pm
Maximum Eclipse May 15 at 11:11:28 pm
Full Eclipse ends May 15 at 11:53:55 pm
Partial Eclipse ends May 16 at 12:55:07 am
Penumbral Eclipse ends May 16 at 1:50:49 am

* The Moon is above the horizon during this eclipse, so with good weather conditions we could the entire eclipse.

The ‘blood moon’ refers to the dark red hue projected onto the moon’s surface during totality.  It’s caused by sunlight passing through the Earth’s atmosphere before reaching the Moon. Not only is it a “Blood Moon” because of it’s color, but it’s also a SUPER Blood Moon, since the moon will be at its perigee — or the point of it’s orbit that brings it closest to Earth — making it a Super Blood Moon eclipse.

The eclipse should be easily viewable anywhere in the eastern half of the U.S., and its totality will be viewable anywhere in North America.

But what if it’s cloudy?  Don’t worry – NASA has you covered with a special lunar eclipse livestream on the top of this page!

The next lunar eclipse won’t happen until November – and the next one after that won’t be until 2025.