A striking celestial event is set to grace the skies over Alaska on Thursday, March 13, starting late in the evening and lasting into the early hours of Friday, March 14: a total lunar eclipse, commonly referred to as a “Blood Moon.”
The eclipse comes just as the moon is in its fullest phase.
The eclipse phenomenon occurs when the Earth aligns directly between the sun and the moon, casting Earth’s shadow over the moon and imparting a reddish-orange hue to its surface. This eclipse will be visible across much of the United States.
In Alaska, observers can anticipate the following approximate timeline for the eclipse:
- Start of Penumbral Eclipse: 7:57 pm AKDT on Thursday, March 13
- Start of Totality: 10:26 pm AKDT
- End of Totality: 11:31 pm AKDT
- End of Penumbral Eclipse: 2:00 pm AKDT on Friday, March 14
These times include Anchorage and Fairbanks posted at timeanddate.com.
For optimal viewing, it’s best to seek locations free from light pollution. In Alaska, weather conditions play a crucial role in visibility. Here’s the forecast for key regions in Alaska during the eclipse period:
Anchorage:
 Thursday | 38°24° | Partly cloudy |
 Friday | 38°23° | Mostly cloudy |
Fairbanks:
| Thursday | 26°1° | Times of clouds and sun |
 Friday | 24°-1° | Partly sunny |
Juneau:
| Thursday | 34°17° | Times of clouds and sun |
| Friday | 33°16° | Clouds and sun |
Given the forecasts, Fairbanks and Juneau may offer better viewing conditions than Anchorage, where cloudy skies could obstruct the view. Check out the interactive map at timeanddate.com.
For those unable to view the eclipse in person, several organizations and observatories will provide live streams of the event online, allowing enthusiasts worldwide to witness it without having to go outside in the middle of the night.
The full moon is Friday, which makes this eclipse more spectacular. Really? Something’s missing here.