Total lunar eclipse creates amazing sight over Massachusetts early Tuesday
BOSTON - If you're an early riser, you were treated with an incredible, somewhat rare sight in the northwest sky Tuesday morning -- a full lunar eclipse.
It started around 4 a.m., when the Earth's shadow was first cast upon the moon. As the minutes ticked on, the shadow overspread the entire moon as it reached maximum eclipse around 6 a.m.
In Boston, the eclipse was over by 6:32 a.m. as the moon set below the horizon.
During the eclipse, the moon didn't go totally dark. Instead, it took on a rather reddish hue like the surface of Mars. That's because the only light reaching the moon was first passing through the Earth's atmosphere. Much like sunsets in the evening, the shorter wavelength colors like blue and purple are scattered, while the longer wavelengths are still visible.
If you didn't get a chance to see the lunar eclipse Tuesday morning, unfortunately the next full one isn't for another three years -- March 14, 2025.
On a related note, there will be a spectacular full solar eclipse that passes right through northern New England on April 8, 2024. Pencil that date into the planner now as it will be the eclipse for a generation.
