Lunar Eclipse - Oct 8, 2014

The 2nd (and last) lunar eclipse of 2014 will be a total eclipse visible from everywhere in North America.  NASA experts say that thanks to the time of occurrence, the bright moon will be visible in even the most light-polluted cities.  But stargazing is more fun from a campground so choose a campground with a view of the western sky or even the horizon; like Tillicum Beach Campground or Lake Michigan Campground.  Check out the eclipse times below for your time zone.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth comes between the sun and the moon; casting a shadow on the moon.  A total eclipse is relatively rare since the 3 orbs must be precisely aligned.  The 4 successive total lunar eclipses occurring in 2014-2015, called the 'tetrad', is particularly rare.  Read more about the tetrad here:  Science at NASA

Blood Moon from Tillicum Beach Campground, Central Oregon Coast

For those of you in the central and eastern time zones, the maximum eclipse occurs about the same time as moonset and sunrise; with the partial eclipse beginning around 5:20am.  So get up early and find a high spot with as much visibility of the western horizon as possible.

Those in the mountain time zone can begin watching around 3:20am, seeing the maximum eclipse just before 5am and ending around 6:30am as the moon sets.

Viewers on the west coast may not get any sleep but will have the best visibility as long as the weather holds out.  The show begins around 2:20am and maxes out around 4am.  The partial eclipse ends around 5:30am.