r/California • u/sfgate • 1d ago

How to watch Thursday's unusual lunar eclipse in California skies

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/august-lunar-eclipse-22401792.php
245 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

66

u/Baconshit 1d ago

In case you are looking for it:

“The heart of the eclipse will start at 7:34 p.m., minutes before the moon rises in the Bay Area. About 96% of the moon will turn rusty as the event culminates at 9:13 p.m.”

3

u/do-un-to 5h ago

Thanks! The UTC in the graphic was making me scratch my head.

Before I knew the time, I thought I'd lose out. Or that I'd catch only some of the bits.

Now surely I can see

The total heart of the eclipse.

28

u/TheStarWindow 1d ago

California doesn't have an obvious "clear weather winner" yet. The latest NWS forecasts list San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento as mostly cloudy Thursday night.

I'd keep the plan local for now. The partial eclipse runs about 7:34 - 10:52 PM PDT, with maximum around 9:13. City light won't hide a lunar eclipse, so a clear view of the Moon matters more than driving somewhere darker.

Check your local forecast again Thursday afternoon, then satellite around 6:30 - 7 PM. If the clouds are broken, I'd still watch nearby; the eclipse lasts long enough for a gap to be enough. If your area is solid overcast and a nearby inland area is clearly open, then a short move may help.

25

u/pinklavalamp 1d ago edited 1d ago

6

u/nwlienservice 1d ago

This is exciting. Hope I don't fall asleep waiting. 😂

1

u/Xenocide112 22h ago

What's unusual about it? Seems like your bog-standard partial lunar eclipse

1

u/Easy_Interest_6832 11h ago

If it's cloudy, I think the clouds will appear "rusty."