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.

As a result of every federal judge in Maine recusing themselves from a Republican State Representative’s case against the Democratic Speaker of the House, the case will now be heard by a Biden-appointed Rhode Island judge with a history of eschewing judicial tradition in favor of strident left-wing activism.

The case in question—which will now be heard by Judge Melissa R. DuBose of the District of Rhode Island—involves Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn), who was censured on Feb. 25 in a 75-70 vote led by House Speaker Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford). As a result of the censure, Fecteau claimed the House rules permitted him to strip Libby of her right to vote and speak on the floor of the Maine House of Representatives.

On Tuesday night, Libby was, in fact, blocked from voting on a $120 million MaineCare bailout package that Democrats are urgently trying to move through the State Legislature.

[ House Dems Strips Laurel Libby’s Voting Rights Over Viral FB Post of Male Athlete Beating Girls…]

The movement to censure Libby was prompted by a post the Auburn conservative made on Facebook that criticized the state of Maine’s policy of forcing female high school athletes to compete against male athletes. The post contained an image of a male high school athlete finishing in 5th place in a male track-and-field event, side-by-side with a later image showing the same athlete finishing first while competing against female athletes.

While orchestrating the censure vote against Libby, Fecteau presented the disciplinary measure as aimed not at Libby’s political views but at the act of posting an image of a minor on social media.

[ Rep. Libby Files Federal Lawsuit Against Speaker Fecteau for Violating Her Constitutional Rights..]

On Tuesday, Libby, joined by several of her constituents, filed suit against Fecteau alleging that depriving her of her right to vote over a Facebook post was unconstitutional.

The following day, every federal judge in the District of Maine filed orders recusing themselves from the case without explanation.

[ In Unprecedented Move, All Maine’s Federal Judges Recuse from GOP Rep’s Challenge to Democrat Speaker’s Vote-Stripping Censure Order – UPDATE…]

Wednesday afternoon, the Maine Wire reported exclusively that the reason for this recusal was a conflict arising from the employment of the male athlete’s mother. That athlete’s mother is a clerk for the U.S. District Court of Maine.

As a result of the unanimous recusal of Maine’s federal judges, the case has now been re-assigned to the District of Rhode Island, where it will be heard by Judge DuBose.

DuBose, confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a 51-47 vote on March 12, 2024, was appointed by President Joe Biden. Her confirmation was hailed by NPR as providing “meaningful representation” to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals because she was, according to local Rhode Island media, the first openly lesbian judge to sit on the Rhode Island District Court.

Prior to her Senate confirmation to Rhode Island’s U.S. District Court, DuBose had served as an associate judge on Rhode Island’s state District Court.

[ Trump Will Block $280M+ in Federal Education Spending Over Maine’s Failure to Protect Female-Only Spaces, Sports…]

In that capacity, DuBose joined several colleagues in signing a March 31, 2021 letter bucking judicial tradition in favor of solidarity with left-wing activists.

“Traditionally, the Judiciary by way of both custom and judicial canons reserves comment and will not make extra-judicial statements regarding civic engagement,” the letter said. “But, recognizing that this is a moment of inflection for our state and the nation, it is imperative that we lift our voice and reaffirm our commitment to the just and equal treatment of every person who appears before us.”

[ Gov. Mills Vows to Resist Federal Ban on Boys in Girls Sports After Trump Singled out Maine and Threatened to Pull Funding…]

“It is important that we celebrate the unique contribution that our state’s founders played in infusing principles of religious freedom and separation of powers into the formation of our national identity,” the letter said. “Championed since Rhode Island’s founding in 1636, these principles were boldly codified and beautifully captured in both our state Constitution and the U.S. Constitution. However, it is equally important to recognize and acknowledge the unique and preeminent role that Rhode Island played in the devastating history of slavery in the United States.”

[ Trump and Mills Go Head to Head Over Trans Row]

“We want to instill confidence in the Black, Latino, Latina, LGBTQ and all under-represented communities that Rhode Island’s courts are their courts, and we will fulfill our constitutional mandate that they receive equal treatment under the law,” the letter said.

DuBose was joined in signing the letter by 12 other judges. According to the letter, DuBose performed a reading; however, the audio of that reading has since been scrubbed from the court’s website.

DuBose also admitted to U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) during her Senate confirmation hearing to having gone through a “Marxist phase.”

Full letter here.

Libby’s social media post, which went on to be shared tens of thousands of times, eventually caught the attention of the White House and prompted a high-profile and ongoing spat between President Donald Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills.