When is the next Total Lunar Eclipse?

The next total lunar eclipse will be observed on January 31st, 2018.

The total lunar eclipse, which is the first blue moon eclipse in 2018, will be observable in most of the world. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, moon, and the earth form a straight line. The moon receives its light from the sun and during the total lunar eclipse, the earth gets aligned between the moon and the sun. This prevents the light from the sun to reach the moon. As the sun is exactly behind the earth, thus the shadow of the earth covers the entire moon leading to a total lunar eclipse.

The 2018 total lunar eclipse is significant as it will occur during the second full moon of the month, known as a blue moon. Also, it will be a ‘supermoon,’ which means that the moon will be appearing larger and brighter than it normally does.

The lunar eclipse can be witnessed from many parts of the world. However, not everyone will be lucky to view it as there would are many areas from where the eclipse is not visible.

Regions, where one can see some parts of the eclipse, are Asia, North America, North/East Europe, North/West South America, Australia, North/East Africa, the Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean, along with Antarctica.

People who live in North America or the Hawaiian Islands can see the lunar eclipse before sunrise on January 31, 2018. Meanwhile, those living in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, including the Middle East and Indonesia, can view the lunar eclipse after sunset on January 31.

In the United States, you will need to be in the states of Alaska and Hawaii to catch the perfect view of the eclipse. On the East coast of the United States, the best time to view the lunar eclipse is at 6:48 am. People on the West Coast will need to wake up at 4:51 am to view it. In St. Louis, Missouri too, people will have to wake up quite early as the total eclipse can be spotted at 6:51 am.

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