Set your alarm clock: Total lunar eclipse starts on Friday at 2 a.m.

Before sunrise Friday morning, the moon will be eclipsed and darkened by the earth’s shadow. If you want to view the total lunar eclipse, set your alarm Friday at 2:26 am, that is when the eclipse is set to begin. The reddish hue of the ‘blood worm moon’ will reach maximum eclipse at 2:58 am. The next lunar eclipse is March 3, 2026.

Viewing will be obstructed in a few places across CONUS because of clouds and precipitation. The four corners are forecasted to get hit with snow Thursday night, which will break down visibility. Unfortunately, the Delaware Valley has poor visibility early Friday morning, not from rain or snow, but just cloudy skies. It’s still worth a shot to look out the window and gauge eclipse viewing.

If terrible, you can always watch the live stream of the lunar eclipse from the Adler Planetarium.