LaSalle County is expected to have clear enough skies tomorrow morning (Tuesday, November 8) for people to easily see the lunar eclipse. The hard-to-see penumbral phase starts at 2:02am. The keenest observers may see slow and slight color changes until 3:09am when the moon starts entering Earth’s shadow. That’s when the partial phase begins and a dark area starts crossing the moon until the total phase begins at 4:16am.
The moon will be deepest in Earth’s central shadow at 4:59am and start to emerge from it at 5:41. For LaSalle County, the moon will set at 6:46am, just three minutes before the partial phase ends.
The moon is likely to look dark brown, orange, or dark red during the total phase, because it will be lit by sunlight refracted through Earth’s atmosphere. Looking at a lunar eclipse is safe with the naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope without a special filter. However, the brightest parts of the moon are easier on the eye through a filter when high magnification’s used.