Blood moon total lunar eclipse hits early Tuesday

Heads up, early birds. A total lunar eclipse will grace the skies in the predawn hours Tuesday morning.

In Minnesota, the eclipse will occur between about 2 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. If skies are clear enough in your area, look for the moon in the western sky as it begins to set.

Here is the detailed eclipse timing for the Twin Cities area.

• Partial eclipse begins 2:20 a.m.

• Total eclipse begins 4:16 a.m.

• Maximum eclipse 4:59 a.m.

• Total eclipse ends 5:41 a.m.

• Eclipse ends 6:49 a.m.

• Moonset: 7:12 a.m.

Blood moon eclipse

So why is it called a blood moon? The moon may take on a reddish hue during the eclipse. That’s because what little light reaches the moon is passing through the earth’s atmosphere. It’s like projecting all the sunsets from earth onto the moon.

Here’s more on the phenomenon from NASA.

During a lunar eclipse, the Moon turns red because the only sunlight reaching the Moon passes through Earth’s atmosphere. The more dust or clouds in Earth’s atmosphere during the eclipse, the redder the Moon will appear. It’s as if all the world’s sunrises and sunsets are projected onto the Moon.

Mixed clouds and a few clear patches

Viewing conditions in Minnesota early Tuesday will be mixed. Clouds look likely to prevent decent viewing conditions in the northern half of Minnesota. But a few breaks in the cloud deck may occur across the southern half of Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s NAM 3 km model shows some breaks in the clouds around the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota at 4 a.m. as the total eclipse approaches.

So viewing conditions will be sketchy across southern Minnesota, but you might catch a glimpse through some breaks in the clouds.

If you see it enjoy it. The next total lunar eclipse occurs in March 2025.