Rare Total Blood Moon Eclipse Returns Tonight! NY’s Last Til 2025

This fall has been a phenomenal season for Upstate New York space lovers and stargazers. We’re coming off a beautiful few weeks of Orionid meteor showers, and tonight will feature one of the most-rare cosmic spectacles on Earth – a total lunar blood moon eclipse.

Set your alarms now, because this is not to be missed. How rare are we talking? This is the last total lunar eclipse until March 14, 2025.

What’s A Blood Moon?

“Blood moon” sounds sinister, but it’s named for the red hue that a total lunar eclipse gives the moon. Because the Earth travels between the sun and the moon, the only light the moon gets is tinted by the edges of Earth’s atmosphere (like a sunrise or sunset).

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While it is a full blood moon, this won’t be a “super moon.” The moon is only a few days away from its apogee, when it’s furthest from the planet. This means the moon will look smaller than usual, BUT means that more of the moon’s light is blocked out – worse super moon, better eclipse.

When and How To See The Blood Moon Over New York

Avoid light pollution by getting out of cities to be where the least lights are, and hope for no clouds. Fortunately for Upstate stargazers, forecasts call for New York skies to stay clear throughout the night into Tuesday afternoon.

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As with most cosmic viewings over the Empire State, you’ll probably have to set an alarm unless you’re an early riser – NASA says the eclipse will start at 3:02a and reach totality at 5:17a. From there, you’ll have 84 minutes and 58 seconds to enjoy the ultra-rare spectacle.