# Total lunar eclipse this evening **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 14, 2014, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116 "2014-04-14T22:36:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/1 "2014-04-14T22:36:16Z")
There’s a total lunar eclipse this evening. The full details, including times and areas from which it can be observed, are available here: [Total lunar eclipse 15 April 2014](http://astro.ukho.gov.uk/eclipse/1112014/). The best viewing is from the US, Canada and western South America. If the cloud and rain clear away in Sydney we’ll be able to see the full moon rising out of the Tasman just as it reaches total eclipse. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/2 "2014-04-14T22:55:08Z")
So jealous! We’ve got a nasty storm front sloooowly rolling it’s slow-ass slow self along the coastline, so we won’t be seeing shit. Damnitall. I’ve been looking forward to this for months. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/3 "2014-04-15T00:02:23Z")
We have clouds and snow flurries tonight, so I don’t think we will be able to see it. I can’t believe we are getting this tonight! ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/4 "2014-04-15T00:52:42Z")
If you don’t want to fiddle with adding or subtracting time zones, [try here](http://mashable.com/2014/04/14/what-time-is-the-lunar-eclipse/). Thanks for posting this, **Cunctator**. I knew it was coming up soon, but would have missed it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/5 "2014-04-15T01:57:32Z")
Something interesting in the night sky? Check! We got overcast clouds? Every freaking time!!! ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/6 "2014-04-15T02:00:53Z")
How funny is it that the Blood Moon falls on tax day? ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/7 "2014-04-15T02:53:58Z")
Hoping the weather cooperates. It’s snowing right now, but the hourly forecast still says it should be breaking up around 1am and at least partly cloudy by 3am when the viewing should be best. Radar right now looks like that might happen, the storm looks like it’s getting weaker. Keeping fingers crossed, that’s a time I’m normally still up, so I will be checking and possibly taking pictures if I see anything. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/8 "2014-04-15T03:08:42Z")
Here’s a really neat and detailed animation of the eclipse. In the right pane it’ll show against the stars the motion of the Moon AND the motion of the earth’s shadow. [HeyWhatsThat: Eclipses](http://www.heywhatsthat.com/eclipse.html) It uses side-by-side Google Earth plugin panels and may take a while to load. On the left, locate your city on the globe and click it. Then click on “fly me to the moon” at the lower right. > [@Shakes](#): > > How funny is it that the Blood Moon falls on tax day? And the date of Lincoln’s assassination (which also happened to be Good Friday that year). Too bad here in Chicago it may be cloudy. We just had about an inch of SNOW! ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/9 "2014-04-15T06:26:37Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > If the cloud and rain clear away in Sydney we’ll be able to see the full moon rising out of the Tasman just as it reaches total eclipse. Don’t get your hopes up. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/10 "2014-04-15T06:29:41Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > Don’t get your hopes up. Totality starts in about 40 minutes. I was just looking out the office window and thinking that the chances of seeing anything were pretty slim. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/11 "2014-04-15T06:32:19Z")
Yep, it started coming down in buckets two minutes after I got on the bus. ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/12 "2014-04-15T06:34:05Z")
The moon is about half-eaten away here in the middle of the US. Perfectly clear skies, if a bit chilly. Where can I find a virgin this time of night? ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/13 "2014-04-15T07:37:09Z")
Damned clouds. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/14 "2014-04-15T07:56:42Z")
Looking cool out here in SoCal. Surprised we have somewhat clear skies for this. Do we say a spell now? 😃 All I know is, if you’re an ET trying to land here, it’s a bad night with everyone looking up! ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/15 "2014-04-15T07:57:15Z")
To several people I follow on Twitter: I don’t want to be a dick, but “…of the heart,” =/= “…of the moon by the earth.” So stop singing Bonnie Tyler, mmmkay? Normally I wouldn’t care, but the DC area is shrouded in clouds and I can’t see it, so I am that much more prone to annoyance. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/16 "2014-04-15T08:43:19Z")
Ha, my son was taking notes during the eclipse (I have no idea, things like “amplitude”), and so he could see what he was writing he was wearing these glasses that have little lights on the temples. It was about all I could do not to say “Turn around, bright eyes.” ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/17 "2014-04-15T08:54:30Z")
Looked good from Melbourne. The sky was a little too bright, and the haze too thick, to see it very clearly until it got further up the sky, which by then had lost most of its redness. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/18 "2014-04-15T10:49:01Z")
Clouds cleared enough to see it once the eclipse was full. Moon turned the reddest just before the shadow started to move off and a sliver of white started showing. Truly blood red. Kinda neato. I couldn’t get good pics from my bedroom window, but wasn’t about to go back outside with snow on the ground after I was already in my jammies. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/19 "2014-04-15T11:32:29Z")
I watched it from the very beginning to the point of becoming total, then I got tired and chilly and went inside. Here (northern San Joaquin Valley area) it was just slightly hazy. The moon was visible passably clearly, and Mars, but not a single other star was visible. Once it became total, it was just barely visible but not really any visible “blood moon” color. I think probably the slight haze was just enough to obscure that. During the time that I watched (about an hour and a half or so), about 15 airplanes flew past, ALL of them following exactly the same path that happened to pass between the moon and Mars, all in the same direction. I guess that must have been some standard commercial aviation flyway. I imagine they were all heading toward San Francisco or Oakland. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116/20 "2014-04-15T11:38:57Z")
It was completely washed out in Sydney. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-lunar-eclipse-this-evening/686116.md?page=2)