Will you be able to see tonight's total lunar eclipse? See latest viewing conditions
The total lunar eclipse takes place tonight and western New York's weather conditions look favorable for sky gazers to view the celestial event.
The eclipse - an alignment of the Earth, moon and sun where the moon passes through the Earth's shadow, or umbra - takes place the night of Thursday, March 13, into the early morning of Friday, March 14. As it does, the moon will appear to darken and take on a crimson shade of red.
Referred to as a "blood moon" because of its reddish and orange hue, this will be North America's lone total lunar eclipse of 2025, according to NASA. And New Yorkers should have a great view of the celestial event.
Expect "favorable viewing" weather for the eclipse tonight, said Phillip Pandolfo, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Buffalo. "We're looking at calm, quiet weather...quite good viewing conditions."
Thursday's forecast calls for passing clouds, with a "lower, thicker cloud cover" expected to move through the region during the day and into the evening, he said. "But it should be clearing quite nicely in time for the eclipse."
"High clouds may be around at times, but should not obstruct the view," he said, adding that counties east of Lake Ontario may have more clouds lingering in the sky that may obscure the view at times.
The overnight, he added, is also predicted to be warmer than normal in western New York in March.
With predicted highs around 55 and 68 degrees on Thursday and Friday, respectively, viewers won't be unbearably cold. Normal low temperatures in western New York - which will be far closer to what the air temperatures at the time of the eclipse - are also unseasonably mild.
Currently the overnight low is predicted to land in the mid 30s. The normal low in Rochester for mid-March is 26 degrees, and the normal high is 42 degrees, according to the Weather Service.
For folks on the east coast, including New York, the timing of the total lunar eclipse is not ideal.
A partial lunar eclipse will start at 11:57 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 13. But the most dramatic portion — when the moon turns totally dark — will occur between 2:26 a.m. and 3:31 a.m. on Friday, March 14, according to Space.com and TimeAndDate.com.
11:57 p.m., Penumbral eclipse begins: The moon enters the Earth's penumbra, the outer part of the shadow. The moon begins to dim, but the effect is quite subtle.
1:09 a.m., Partial eclipse begins: The moon begins to enter Earth's umbra and the partial eclipse begins. To the naked eye, as the moon moves into the umbra, it looks like a bite is being taken out of the lunar disk. The part of the moon inside the umbra appears very dark.
2:26 a.m., Totality begins: The entire moon is now in the Earth's umbra. The moon is tinted a coppery red. Try binoculars or a telescope for a better view. If you want to take a photo, use a camera on a tripod with exposures of at least several seconds.
3:31 a.m., Totality ends: As the moon exits Earth's umbra, the red color fades. It looks as if a bite is being taken out of the opposite side of the lunar disk from before.
4:47 a.m., Partial eclipse ends: The whole moon is in Earth's penumbra, but again, the dimming is subtle.
6 a.m., Penumbral eclipse ends: The eclipse is over.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Total lunar eclipse on March 13-14: See latest viewing conditions
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