A rare blood moon lunar eclipse is coming to NJ

A rare blood moon total lunar eclipse is happening in March in the Garden State.

The reason it’s called a blood moon is that during a lunar eclipse, the Earth casts a shadow on the moon, blocking direct sunlight.

Sunlight not blocked by Earth filters through our atmosphere, and that filtering process gives the moon a reddish-orange color.

This hasn’t happened in a few years, so don’t miss your chance. If you want to mix a drink and have yourself a viewing party, the fun starts on March 13 at 11:57 p.m. and carries on for several hours after midnight on what is the early morning of March 14.

If you have insomnia when trying to go to bed Thursday night, March 13, you’ll have a dazzling show.

Three minutes before midnight, the moon just begins to enter Earth’s shadow, but it’s at 1:09 a.m. that it will appear as if a bite is being taken out of it. By 2:26 a.m., it hits total lunar eclipse, and this is when the moon appears red.

By 3:31 a.m., that color begins to slowly fade, and that so-called bite mark then appears on the other side.

The partial eclipse ends by 4:47 a.m., and the entire eclipse is done at 6 a.m. At least, if you believe these NASA nerds!

As Leonard Nimoy said on the famous monorail episode of "The Simpsons,” the cosmic ballet goes on.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.
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