A total lunar eclipse happens when the Earth moves directly between the sun and the moon, casting its shadow over the lunar surface. The red appearance results from sunlight filtering through Earth's atmosphere, scattering shorter wavelengths and allowing longer, redder wavelengths to reach the moon.
The eclipse will begin late Thursday, with the moon entering the penumbra — the Earth's outer shadow — at 11:56 p.m. EDT.
The moon will move into the umbra, or complete shadow, at 1:09 a.m. EDT on Friday and reach maximum eclipse at 2:55 a.m. EDT.
The event will conclude as the moon exits the umbra at 4:48 a.m. EDT and leaves the penumbra at 6:02 a.m. EDT.