Historic lunar eclipse to appear in Seattle night skies Thursday

A partial lunar eclipse will be visible from Seattle to Spokane, set to appear in Washington’s night skies on Thursday, Nov. 18.

Thursday’s eclipse — known colloquially as a “blood moon” for its reddish hue — will span nearly three and a half hours, starting at 10 p.m. and running through almost 3 a.m. in the Seattle area. According to NASA, that will end up being the longest partial lunar eclipse of the century based on its projections.

A total lunar eclipse is where the sun, Earth, and moon are positioned in a line. The Earth blocks the sunlight from coming through, but the sun casts the planet’s shadow onto the moon, producing the red hue you see during the eclipse.

Your ability to see the eclipse will likely depend on cooperative weather conditions allowing for a clear view. In the Seattle area, the National Weather Service predicts that light rain will likely move through late Thursday, which could make for overcast skies and low visibility. Similar conditions are expected from Bellingham down to Olympia as well, although the forecast is subject to change.

For those worried about rainy weather spoiling your lunar eclipse experience, it will also be streamed live on YouTube at this link.

The next lunar eclipse visible in Washington is expected to take place on May 15, 2022.

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