Total Lunar Eclipse: Why it is safe to look directly at celestial spectacle
Unlike a solar eclipse, watching a lunar eclipse never exposes your eyes to direct sunlight
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A total lunar eclipse on Tuesday will be visible to people in Asia, the Pacific and North America, and unlike a solar eclipse, you need not worry about eye safety: A lunar eclipse is safe to view directly during the entire eclipse process.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow, which darkens the Moon, and sometimes changes it to a reddish color. The color change is due to the light reaching the Moon’s surface passing through Earth’s atmosphere.
Since viewers are only ever looking at sunlight, already dimmed by the Earth’s atmosphere, reflecting off the Moon, it is safe to look at.
A solar eclipse, by contrast, is only safe to look at with the naked eye during totality, that is, those few moments where the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth in such perfect alignment that the entire Sun’s disk is blocked out for a viewer on the ground.
Totality in a solar eclipse typically only lasts for a few moments out of the several hours it takes for the Moon to move in front of, and then away from the Sun.
The time during a solar eclipse outside of totality, or when viewed from a location where the Moon will not completely occlude the Sun, is known as a partial eclipse, and it is never safe to view a partial solar eclipse with the naked eye — although the Sun may seem slightly dimmer than usual, a viewer is still looking directly at the Sun, which can damage your eyes.
Former US President Donald Trump drew criticism for ignoring safety advice and looking directly at a partial solar eclipse from the White House in 2017.
Tuesday’s total lunar eclipse will begin around 3.02am eastern time. You can learn more about when and how to view the total lunar eclipse here.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments