Public Invited to Lunar Eclipse Viewing Early Friday at Hamilton College

There's a Blood Moon on the horizon early Friday morning and the Observatory at Hamilton College is giving the public an extra special view. The blood moon is actually a lunar eclipse that fully eclipses the moon for about an hour, giving it an eerie red glow, known as the blood moon.

"The Hamilton College Peters Observatory will be hosting a total lunar eclipse party on Friday, March 14, from 1:00 a.m. until 3:00 a.m.  The eclipse will begin at 1:09 a.m. when the moon enters the Earth's shadow, gradually becoming obscured until it reaches totality at 2:26 a.m.  The moon will remain fully eclipsed for approximately an hour, likely displaying an eerie red glow, known as a blood moon.  Starting at 3:32 a.m., the moon will move out of the Earth’s shadow once again until it is fully uncovered at 4:48 a.m.," according to a release from Hamilton College. 

Peters Observatory is located at 13 Peters Lane on the campus of Hamilton College just 0.3 miles up the hill from the main campus crosswalk on College Hill Road in Clinton. For additional information, contact the Observatory Director Dr. Adam Lark at alark@hamilton.edu.

For those people who choose to stay at home, viewers should be able to see the moon through the partly cloudy skies high in the southern sky starting at 1:00 a.m..  The moon can be seen from any location that has a clear view of the sky, so those who are interested should set their alarms for 1:00 a.m. in order to get the best look at the lunar eclipse.