The Next Lunar Eclipse Will Be Visible From North Carolina And You Won’t Want To Miss Out

If you love the night sky, then there’s an upcoming event you’re not going to want to miss. A total lunar eclipse is something that occurs more than one time in a year, but the one that’s happening the night of January 20th is special for a number of reasons. And even better – North Carolina will be a prime location for witnessing it all.

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The upcoming lunar eclipse will also be a super blood wolf moon, where for one hour and two minutes the moon will turn a rich red color during the height of the eclipse. Flickr/Elton Menchick It's a night of firsts since it's the first full moon of 2019, the first super blood moon of 2019, and the first lunar eclipse of the year. But wait, there's one more first: it's the first Supermoon of the year, meaning the moon is at its closest position to Earth. Flickr/cyclotourist As if all of the year's firsts isn't enough to entice you to miss your bedtime for one night, it's also possible (with the right equipment) to witness a penumbral lunar eclipse before and after the total lunar eclipse. Witness different phases of the moon's eclipse as it passes through the cone-shaped shadow thrown by Earth. Flickr/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center There won't be another total lunar eclipse like this one until May 26, 2021. So mark this one on your calendar for the night of January 20-21, 2019. Flickr/Guy Sie Luckily this unique event will be visible from all of North America. In North Carolina, the lunar eclipse will be visible in the night sky for one hour and two minutes. It begins at 11:41 p.m. and ends at 12:43 a.m. on January 21. The entire eclipse (including the more difficult to see penumbral phases) begins at 9:36 p.m. on January 20 and ends at 2:48 a.m. on January 21. Flickr/Edward Klinovski In case you're wondering, you won't need special glasses to protect your eyes as with last year's total eclipse of the sun. An eclipse of the moon won't harm your eyes. Flickr/gemlingx

In North Carolina, here’s your timeline for this eclipse:

9:36 p.m. Jan. 20 – penumbral eclipse begins

10:33 p.m. Jan. 20 – partial eclipse begins

11:41 p.m. Jan. 20 – full eclipse begins

12:12 a.m. Jan. 21 – maximum eclipse

12:43 a.m. Jan. 21 – full eclipse ends

1:50 a.m. Jan. 21 – partial eclipse ends

2:48 a.m. Jan. 21 – penumbral eclipse ends

Ever seen an eclipse like this before? We’d love to know – and can’t wait to see your photos from this one. You can share them with us on Instagram with the #onlyinnorthcarolina tag!