Lunar eclipse will be visible tonight over Rhode Island. Forecast and when to see it

A total lunar eclipse is happening tonight, and if cloudiness isn’t an issue, everyone should be able to see it.

Rhode Island is in the path of totality for the upcoming eclipse. The entire Western hemisphere will have a view, according to the website Date and Time.

The is the first time a lunar eclipse has been visible over Rhode Island since 2022.

Will weather hamper the skyward spectacle?

Here’s what to know.

What’s the forecast tonight?

The National Weather Service branch in Norton is forecasting a relatively cloudy night with the possibility of light rain showers in Southern New England.

The National Weather Service noted in its forecaster’s discussion that clouds aren’t expected to clear out completely until later on Friday, March 14.

But all people will need is a quick break in the clouds to see the eclipse.

What time should you look for the eclipse?

Its peak viewing time is 2:55 a.m. on March 14, but it can be seen earlier that night (on March 13) as well.

Here’s a schedule of how it will happen, according to NASA:

• 11:57 p.m. EST: You can see the eclipse starting when the penumbral phase begins as the moon enter the outer part of the shadow and begins to subtly dim. 
• 1:09 a.m.: A partial eclipse begins as the moon enters Earth’s umbra and starts to darken. To the naked eye, the moon should look like a bite is being taken out of the lunar disk.
• 2:26 a.m.: Totality occurs when the entire moon is under the umbra. This is when the reddish hues of the “blood moon” will be on display.
• 3:31 a.m.: As the moon exits the umbra, the red color will fade and another bite-like display, this time on the other side of the moon, will appear.
• 6 a.m.: The entire process should end by this time as the moon slowly exits the Earth’s penumbra.

Will there be a ‘blood moon’ tonight?

Yes, there will be, as it is with every total lunar eclipse.

During a lunar eclipse, the moon typically takes on a “rusty” hue.

Space.com explained on its website that during a total lunar eclipse, “The moon is fully in Earth’s shadow. At the same time, a little bit of light from Earth’s sunrises and sunsets (on the disk of the planet) falls on the surface of the moon. Because the light waves are stretched out, they look red. When this red light strikes the moon’s surface, it also appears red.”

The blood moon will look large in the sky, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. That’s because of what’s called a “moon illusion.”

NASA explained a moon illusion is “where the moon appears larger when it’s near the horizon than when it’s higher in the sky.”

Will it be possible to see a ‘moonbow’ during the lunar eclipse?

A moonbow is is “a rare rainbow-like light display caused by moonlight refracting through water droplets in the air. Also known as a lunar rainbow, moonbows are usually faint and appear white to the naked eye,” according to the Dark Sky International website.

It’s possible the eclipse will present a chance to see one.

The best time to look for the moonbow is right after sunset on March 14 when the sky goes dark, according to Dark Sky International.

When is the next total lunar eclipse?

According to NASA, another total lunar eclipse won’t be visible in the U.S. until March 2026.