Total Lunar Eclipse Over Wyoming Sunday September 27th
From the National Weather Service office in Cheyenne,
A total lunar eclipse will be visible over the entire area, weather permitting, in the evening of September 27th. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through at least a part of the shadow cast by the Earth, darkening the Moon’s surface as seen from Earth. The entire eclipse will be visible in this area, again weather permitting.
The following table provides the times for specific parts of the eclipse, with the times given in Mountain Daylight Time:
Partial eclipse begins: 7:07 PM
Total eclipse begins: 8:11 PM
Greatest eclipse: 8:47 PM
Total eclipse ends: 9:23 PM
Partial eclipse ends: 10:25 PM
During the times of partial eclipse, you will see the dark shadow cast by Earth (the umbra) cover varying parts of the surface of the Moon. During the total phase the Moon will take on a reddish hue due to the red part of the sunlight being bent through the atmosphere of the Earth and then reflecting off the surface of the Moon.
Unlike a solar eclipse which requires special filters or other methods for safe viewing, a lunar eclipse is completely safe to view with the naked eye. Binoculars or a telescope can enhance the view, especially as the edge of the dark shadow moves across the Moon’s surface.
This lunar eclipse is the last of a series of 4 consecutive total lunar eclipses, known as a tetrad. The previous 3 occurred on April 4th, 2015, October 8th and April 14-15th, 2014. The next total lunar eclipse visible here will not occur until the morning of January 31st, 2018, and that will occur as the moon sets that morning.