This week, early Tuesday morning, Washingtonians will get a chance to catch a peek at one of the rarest celestial spectacles happening this year!
The event, a total lunar eclipse, is going to turn the moon blood red for a short period of time, making it one of the year’s most unique, stunning, and fleeting sights to be seen this year.
When is the total lunar eclipse going to be visible in Washington, D.C.?
The lunar eclipse is going to be visible in the early hours of Tuesday, March 3rd, roughly between 6:00 am and 7:00 am, before the sun rises and the eclipse ends.
However, the duration of the total lunar eclipse is relatively short, potentially only 30 minutes or so, because the East Coast is considered on the fringe of the eclipse’s path.
A partial lunar eclipse will remain visible until the moon sets at around 7:15 am, at which point the moon will no longer be visible at all!
How to see the total lunar eclipse from Washington, D.C.
The good news about the total lunar eclipse is that it will be completely visible with the naked eye, which means that you don’t need any fancy telescope to be able to see it or any expensive zoom camera lens to be able to photograph it!
The moon will be above the western horizon during the eclipse, which means that ideally, you should find a comfortable spot facing west with unobstructed views of the moon over the horizon.
If you are interested in seeing the blood moon in the best possible conditions and you’re not afraid of an extra early wake-up, take the trip into some of the most remote natural spaces around the DMV area for a view of the moon that isn’t hindered by the city’s light pollution.