Clouds will clear for view of lunar eclipse Sunday night

Clouds should clear Sunday night in time for Triangle residents to see the big, blood-red moon and full lunar eclipse.
Posted 1/18/2019, 2:29:00 PM Updated 9/23/2025, 7:53:29 PM

>>> THIS IS WRAL NEWS.

>> THIS SUNDAY YOU'LL BE ABLE

TO SEE THE ONLY TOTAL LUNAR

ECLIPSE OF THE YEAR.

NASA IS HERE WITH ME THIS

MORNING.

ALWAYS A TREAT TO HAVE YOU IN.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING IN.

WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THIS

ECLIPSE.

THE SOLAR ECLIPSE WAS A HUGE

DEAL A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, BUT

WE SEE THESE LANAR ECLIPSES A

LITTLE MORE FREQUENTLY.

>> A LITTLE MORE FREQUENTLY.

>> WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT

THE WEATHER ON SUNDAY.

THE ONE THING THAT IS NICE

ABOUT IT IS WE'LL BE ABLE TO,

OF COURSE, SEE THIS, BECAUSE IT

WILL BE CLEAR.

IT IS GOING TO BE VERY, VERY

COLD.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK.

I'LL LET YOU KIND OF WALK US

THROUGH THIS.

IT STARTS AT ABOUT 10:23.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

THAT PARTIAL ECLIPSE BEGINS AS

THE MOON IS JUST STARTING TO GO

THROUGH THE EARTH.

THAT IS THE DARKER PART OF THE

SHADOW.

EVERY SHADOW, WHETHER IT IS

YOURS, THE MOON'S, OR WHATEVER

HAS PARTS.

THAT DARK PART IS WHERE IT

REALLY GETS NICE AND RED AND

REALLY INTERESTING TO SEE.

THAT POINT OF MAXIMUM ECLIPSE

AT 12:12.

THAT IS WHEN IT IS AT THE

DEEPEST POINT WITHIN THAT.

SO IT IS GOING TO GET A LITTLE

BIT DEEPER RED.

I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING

WHAT THAT COLOR IS GOING TO BE.

WE DON'T KNOW UNTIL THAT DAY.

OUR ATMOSPHERE IS SO DYNAMIC WE

WON'T KNOW UNTIL WHATEVER THE

WEALTHER IS DOING THAT DAY OR

EVEN VOLCANIC ACTIVITY CAN

CHANGE IT.

IT IS GOING TO END ABOUT 12:43.

THE WHOLE TING WILL BE OVER

AFTER THAT PART OF THE SHADOW.

IT MOVES OUT OF THERE AT 1:50

A.M

>> SO IT IS GOING TO BE, YOU

KNOW, MIDNIGHT.

A MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT KIND OF A

THING.

>> YEAH.

>> ONE THING THAT IS NICE IS

THE KIDS ARE OUT OF SCHOOL.

>> LET THE KIDS STAY UP A

LITTLE BIT LATE.

>> LET THEM STAY UP.

THERE IS NO SCHOOL ON MONDAY

BECAUSE OF THE HOLIDAY.

>>> HERE IS ANOTHER GOOD THING.

THIS IS A HOOK AT OUR CLOUD

COVER.

SO THE GREEN IS GOOD.

THAT MEANS IT IS GOING TO BE

CLEAR.

NOW, IT IS GOING TO BE

OUTRAGEOUSLY COLD.

OUR TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT ARE

GOING TO DROP DOWN TO AROUND 20-

DEGREES OR SO.

IT IS GOING TO BE REALLY

CHILLY.

BE AN ECLIPSE YOU DON'T

NECESSARILY NEED TO BE IN ANY

PARTICULAR SPOT TO SEE IT.

>> AS LONG AS YOU CAN SEE THE

MOON, YOU CAN SEE THE ECLIPSE.

THIS WHOLE THING WILL LAST OVER

AN HOUR.

THERE IS LOTS OF TIME TO SEE

IT.

>> I THINK WE HAVE SOME VIDEO

OF ONE AS WELL.

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY ONE THAT

WE GET TO SEE FROM OUR LOCATION

THIS YEAR.

IS THAT CORRECT?

>> IN 2019, WE'RE GOING TO

HAVE TO WAIT ABOUT A YEAR AND A

HALF BEFORE WE SEE ANOTHER

LUFAR ECLIPSE.

>> NOW, THE VIDEO HERE SHOWS

THE MOON GOING COMPLETELY BLACK

THERE FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

WILL WE ACTUALLY SEE THAT OR

WILL WE SEE MORE OF THIS RED

COLOR?

>> THE RED COLOR REALLY POPS

OUT.

ONES TOTALITY BEGINS, BUT IT

LOOKS -- BECAUSE OF A CONTRAST

BETWEEN THE DARK AND THE LIGHT.

THE MOON IS ABOUT THE COLOR OF

A MOVIE SCREEN.

SO IT REFLECTS LIGHT REALLY,

REALLY WELL.

BUT BECAUSE OF THAT

CONTRACTION, IT LOOKS REALLY,

REALLY DARK AS THE MOON IS

STARTING TO MOVE INTO THAT

DARKER PART OF THE SHADOW.

AND THEN THAT REALLY ORANGEY

RED APPEARS.

>> NEAT.

IT IS EXCITING.

I WISH THE WEATHER WAS GOING TO

BE A LITTLE BIT WARMER FOR IT.

>> AT LEAST WE WON'T HAVE

CLOUDS.

>> WE ACTUALLY GET TO SEE IT.

GREAT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

>> BACK TO YOU.