How to use the moon on Feb. 4 to plan your view of March’s total lunar eclipse

Should the weather be clear early on Tuesday morning, March 3, sky watchers across most of the Americas will have an opportunity to view one of nature’s most beautiful spectacles: A total eclipse of the moon.

Unlike a total eclipse of the sun, which often requires a long journey to the path of totality, those of the moon can usually be observed from one’s own backyard. The passage of the moon through the Earth’s shadow is equally visible from all places within the hemisphere where the moon is above the horizon. This event favors locations near and around the Pacific Rim. For North America, places within the Eastern Time Zone will see the moon set during dawn’s early light during the total phase; places farther west will be able to catch the moon emerging from the Earth’s shadow as it sets, while for sites out in the Far West, the eclipse will be visible from start to finish. Hawaiians will see the moon almost overhead as totality takes place in the hours after midnight. Meanwhile, during local evening hours, Central Asia and western Australia will see the moon rise as it emerges from the Earth’s dark shadow. Eastern Australia, Papua New Guinea, as well as much of Japan and eastern Siberia, will see it all during convenient evening hours.