DENVER — A total lunar eclipse will turn the moon a coppery red late Thursday night into early Friday morning, but cloud cover could get in the way for some daring Coloradans hoping to witness the event.
A lunar eclipse happens when a full moon passes through a shadow cast by the Earth at just the right alignment between the sun, the earth and the moon. The amount of dust particles hanging around in the atmosphere when this happens will determine how much of a “blood moon” those watching will see, explained Ron Hranac with the Denver Astronomical Society over Zoom to Denver7 Tuesday.
“Another fun thing about the lunar eclipse – unlike a solar eclipse – you don’t need any special glasses or filters or anything else to observe it,” Hranac said, adding the unaided eye, binoculars or a telescope are all good viewing tools. “Use all three, if you’d like, but do take advantage of it, because it is kind of cool to watch as the Earth’s shadows takes progressively bigger bites out of the moon.”
- In the video below, check out some of the best photos taken by Colorado photographers of the last blood moon in 2022
Typically, lunar eclipses are visible once or twice a year, but they’re only visible in areas where the three celestial bodies perfectly align. The last total lunar eclipse visible in North America was in late 2022, and the next one Denverites will be able to enjoy – if they wake up really, really early – won’t happen until March 3, 2026.
Some good news, though: A partial lunar eclipse will be visible in Denver on Aug. 28, 2026. “That will happen at a much more reasonable time, starting around 8:30 p.m., but it's only partial,” Hranac said.
How to see the lunar eclipse from Denver and other parts of Colorado
Viewing this week’s “blood moon” won’t be hard, but it will take some effort and commitment for those hoping to see this magnificent celestial event.
“Perhaps the only downside to this month’s lunar eclipse is how late in the nighttime hours it’s occurring,” Hranac said.
While the penumbral phase (when the moon touches the outer part of the Earth’s shadow) will start just before bedtime for some people at around 9:57 p.m. MDT Thursday, “you probably won’t see much, if anything – at least naked-eye” during this phase, Hranac said. “The partial and total phases are the best times to observe the eclipse visually.”
So, when are those phases happening in Colorado?
Per the latest calculations by NASA, the partial phase will begin at around 11:09 p.m. MDT, with totality beginning at 12:26 a.m. Friday morning, and ending a little more than an hour later, by about 1:31 a.m.
You mentioned it “could” be visible, not that it would be
That’s correct. Unfortunately, Mother Nature might not cooperate with stargazers and other night owls whose insomnia might give them the perfect excuse to watch this week’s total lunar eclipse.
People in southwestern Colorado, for example, will be battling snow and significant cloud cover during totality, Denver7 meteorologist Danielle Grant said.
Grant was calling for some cloud cover over the Denver area and the adjacent plains to the east. The skies in southeastern Colorado were looking clear during totality.
- Watch Danielle's lunar eclipse forecast in the video player below:
The National Weather Service in Boulder was forecasting 44% cloud cover in Denver around midnight Friday morning, with cloudier skies over the mountains and clearer skies over the eastern plains.
“If they’re thin clouds, it is sometimes possible to see the moon, particularly when it’s full, through the clouds. It won’t be a clear, crips image, but people might be able to see it depending on the just how thick the clow layer is,” he said. “IF Mother Nature cooperates and the clouds don't show up till, let's say, 4 or 5 in the morning, that would be good for observing the eclipse.”
If the clouds do show up early Thursday evening, “that’s going to be a bust for us here in Colorado.”
So, what does Hranac recommend?
“I would say keep an eye on the weather forecast for Thursday night into early Friday morning. “If the weather does cooperate, get outside and enjoy a view.”
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