Eclipses

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes completely into the shadow of the Earth, darkening the lunar surface. (We normally see the Moon by the sunlight it reflects.) Such events only occur during the full Moon phase, when the Moon is opposite the Sun in the sky.

During most months, the full Moon passes just above or below Earth’s shadow, and an eclipse does not occur. But when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned in the same plane in space, the full Moon passes into our shadow and we see a lunar eclipse. These precise alignments bring us the possibility of lunar eclipses roughly every six months. For a partial lunar eclipse, the Moon does not completely pass into the darkest part of Earth’s shadow (the umbra), and so only part of the Moon appears significantly darkened.

All total lunar eclipses have partial phases before and after totality. Occasionally, the Moon passes just outside the umbra, and a slight fading of part of the Moon occurs. This is a penumbral lunar eclipse, in which Earth is blocking some of the sunlight from reaching the Moon, but no part of the lunar surface sees the sunlight totally blocked.

Observatory host Tim Martin has produced a video describing lunar eclipses.

The next good eclipse for our area occurs in the overnight hours of the morning of March 14, 2025.

The penumbral lunar eclipse of Oct. 28, 2023, is pretty much a non-event. It begins around moonset/sunrise, and the amount of shadow on the moon at that time is barely perceptible.

The penumbral lunar eclipse of March 25, 2024, is better placed for viewing than the October 2023 lunar eclipse, but it's in the early morning hours and the moon will still stay outside the deep umbral shadow of Earth. So the shading on the moon will be slight. The best views will be between 1:30 and 5 a.m. with maximum eclipse at 3:12 a.m.

The partial lunar eclipse of Sept. 17, 2024, will be visible between roughly 10 and 11 that night. Only a small portion of the moon moves into Earth’s umbral shadow that night.

The March 14, 2025, eclipse will be visible between 3 and 6 a.m. on March 14, 2025. Because of the late/early timing of the eclipse, the observatory will not be open for viewing.

• NASA eclipse resource sheet for the March 14, 2025, Eclipse
• timeanddate.com page for the March 14, 2025, Lunar Eclipse

NOTE: A telescope is NOT needed to view this or any other lunar eclipse, so if you don’t want to venture out late to join our session, you can always watch by stepping outside and looking up at the moon, wherever you are.

Weather permitting, Cline Observatory will be open for public viewing the night of the eclipse. General details will be posted here as the event approaches. In the days before the eclipse, updates will be posted on the observatory’s Twitter page, @gtccastro.

But a trip to an observatory is not necessary to enjoy an eclipse. Lunar eclipses can be viewed from any location where the Moon can be seen – optical aid is not required. If you can see the Moon, then you can observe the eclipse, no matter what your location. Telescopes or binoculars will enhance the view but are not necessary.

For more information on lunar eclipses occurring this period, see NASA Lunar Eclipse Page and Catalog of Lunar Eclipses: 2001 to 2100.

As with lunar eclipses, for solar eclipses to occur, the sun, moon, and earth must be directly in line and on the same plane in space. For all variations of solar eclipses, the moon must be in the new phase, with the arrangement of the bodies being sun-moon-earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon appears to completely cover the sun. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon appears too small to completely cover the sun, and thus the sun is not completely blocked, with an exposed ring of bright sunlight around the dark moon. (This can happen because the moon's orbit is not perfectly circular, so sometimes it is a bit closer to, or farther from, earth than normal.) For a partial solar eclipse, the moon is not situated directly between the sun and the observer, and thus blocks only part of the sun.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon appears to completely cover the sun. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon appears too small to completely cover the sun, and thus the sun is not completely blocked, with an exposed ring of bright sunlight around the dark moon. 

For a partial solar eclipse, the moon is not situated directly between the sun and the observer, and thus blocks only part of the sun. For all of these types of eclipse, the moon must be in the new phase, with the arrangement of the bodies being sun-moon-earth. 

Solar eclipses usually happen roughly six months apart, and because of their timing, can only be seen from certain parts of Earth. Upcoming solar eclipses visible from our area are listed in the table below

Note: the Aug. 12, 2026 partial solar eclipse is not visible in the Triad, but parts of N.C. to our northeast and east will see it.

For more information on solar eclipses occurring this period, see the NASA Catalog of Solar Eclipses: 2001 to 2100. Other useful resources are the Great American Eclipse page, TimeandDate.com’s eclipse list, and Xavier Jubier’s Interactive Eclipse Maps.

It is dangerous to your eyesight to stare at the sun, so here are a few tips if you want to try to observe a solar eclipse:

• Make a pinhole projector – use a pin to poke a hole in a piece of cardboard, orient that hole toward the sun, and use a second white card or piece of paper onto which you can project an image of the sun. This JPL page shows you how to make a pinhole camera for the projection of the image of the eclipsed sun.
• Watch the full eclipse online – for each major eclipse, there are usually a few sites offering live streams of the event. TimeandDate.com has a regular eclipse livestream page.
• Safe solar viewers are available from several sources – just do a web search with the terms, eclipse shades, eclipse glasses, or solar viewers. 
• A shade 14 welder's lens is safe for viewing the sun, but with regular shades (e.g. 10), the sun is still too bright. Regular shades may be acceptable for quick looks if the sun is low on the horizon.
• Don't try to improvise on your own filter. See these resources from Fred Espenak and the American Astronomical Society for information on safe solar viewers.
• Do not stare at the sun for long periods of time, and NEVER try to look directly at the sun through unfiltered (or inappropriately filtered) binoculars, telescopes, or telephoto lenses. You will damage your eyesight.