A strange celestial phenomena will take place this weekend, and if you can stay up a little later than usual, you'll get to take in a pretty remarkable site.

Girl looking at the stars with telescope beside her.
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In a nutshell, the earth will block out the sun's rays on the moon, but you'll still be able to see it. Blue light will be blocked but red rays still get through, making the moon appear very dark red in color - hence the name 'Blood Moon'.

Total Lunar Eclipse Over Indonesia
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So here's when to be looking toward the sky

  • Sunday May 15, the earth's shadow will begin to be cast over the moon at about 9:30pm
  • The moon's color will begin to change at 10:28pm
  • At around 11:30 the moon will be covered by the shadow of the earth, with a peak time at 12:11am on Monday May 16
  • Earth's shadow will continue to be cast on the moon until 1:55am, after which the moon emerges, becoming completely uncovered by 2:51am
NASA/JPL
NASA/JPL
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In the Capital Region, Grafton Lakes State Park is holding a free 'Star Party' along with the Albany Area Amateur Astronomers, who will have telescopes available to see the cosmic event Sunday into Monday.

Astronomers do recommend looking at the eclipse with binoculars or telescopes for the best view. Yes, it is safe to look at a lunar eclipse.

Let's hope we get a warm clear night for May 15, as this only happens about twice a year, but it's not always visible to all parts of the earth.

[News 10] [NASA]

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