How To Watch The Super Blood Wolf Moon Lunar Eclipse This Weekend

This weekend will bring the super blood wolf moon lunar eclipse, the last total lunar eclipse until 2021. The event will be visible throughout North America, assuming the weather doesn't block the view. People unable to see the event due to cloud cover, an unwillingness to go out into cold weather, or simply being in the wrong location will still have the opportunity to watch the eclipse live.

The name "super blood wolf" refers to multiple features of the upcoming eclipse. The term "super" is in reference to the fact that the moon will be near its closest distance to Earth during the eclipse, while the "blood" part is due the reddish color the moon will experience during totality — the moon won't disappear entirely.

As for the "wolf" part of the name, this lunar eclipse happens to coincide with the wolf moon, which is the name that has been traditionally given to the full moon experienced in the month of January. Combined together, people are referring to this weekend's lunar eclipse as the "super blood wolf moon."

This will be the first total lunar eclipse since July 2018, and the last to happen until the year 2021. However, this particular event will be the first total eclipse in years that is entirely viewable in North America, making it a rare treat for those on this side of the world.

Overall, the lunar eclipse will last about 3.5 hours on Sunday, January 20, with totality comprising 63 minutes of that. The first part of the eclipse will take place at 10:34PM ET / 7:34PM PT, leading up to the full blood moon coloration appearing at 12:12AM ET. The entire celestial event will wrap up at 1:51AM ET, though there won't be much to see by that point.

If you're not able to watch the event in person, Astronomers Without Borders will livestream the eclipse; watch it in the video above starting at 10:30PM ET on January 20.