The Moon during a total lunar eclipse in November 1993. Click on image for full size (14K JPEG) Image courtesy of Andy Steere.

The second total lunar eclipse of 2003 will occur on the night of Saturday, November 8th. The Earth's shadow will darken the Moon for a total of more than four hours, while the "total eclipse phase" spans a period of about 25 minutes. If you live in the eastern part of North America, the middle of the eclipse occurs around 8:19 P.M. The eclipse begins before moonrise as seen on the West Coast, so the Moon will be tinted red as it rises in the West. The copper hue of the Moon during a lunar eclipse is caused by red light refracting through Earth's atmosphere which lights the Moon

Earth's shadow has two parts: a lighter outer ring, and an inner, darker circle. During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon passes through both sections of this shadow, so there are several different stages to the eclipse. The link to NASA's page about this eclipse (below) provides details about the times of the different stages for viewers in various locations.

The Moon during an eclipse in 1993. Click on image for full size (14K JPEG) Image courtesy of Andy Steere.

There will be an eclipse of the Moon on Saturday night, November 8, 2003. It will be the second lunar eclipse in 2003. This eclipse is a total eclipse of the Moon, which means the Moon will pass through the darkest part of Earth's shadow.

During the eclipse, the Moon will look dark red. Even the darkest part of Earth's shadow lets a little light through. The light that gets through passes through Earth's atmosphere, which blocks out the light that isn't red. That's why the Sun looks red at sunset, too.

The main part of the eclipse will last about 25 minutes. Check out the link to NASA's site (below) to find out when the eclipse can be seen from where you live.

The Moon during an eclipse in 1993. Click on image for full size (14K JPEG) Image courtesy of Andy Steere.

There will be an eclipse of the Moon on Saturday night, November 8, 2003. The shadow of the Earth will fall on the Moon, and the Moon will get dark!

The Moon will not be so dark that you can't see it. The Moon will be dark red, not black. Some sunlight goes through Earth's atmosphere and lights the Moon a little bit. Only red light gets through, so the Moon looks red.

The main part of the eclipse is about 25 minutes long. Want to know if you can see the eclipse where you live? Look at the link to NASA below to find out when to look for the eclipse.