How to watch the Independence Day lunar eclipse

This weekend don't miss the full moon plus a partial lunar eclipse

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The start of a lunar eclipse is viewed from Merritt Island, Fla. Eclipses occur when the Sun, Earth and Moon line up. They are rare because the Moon usually passes above or below the imaginary line connecting Earth and the Sun. The Earth casts a shadow that the Moon can pass through - when it does, it is called a lunar eclipse. (National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA Official: Rodney Grubbs, Copyright 2020 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – This weekend you may be enjoying fireworks in celebration of Independence Day, but don’t miss the show from Mother Nature. Just after midnight on Saturday, the moon will be at its most full for this cycle.

According to NASA, this full moon (the Buck Moon, Thunder Moon, Hay Moon, Mead Mood, Rose Moon, Guru Moon, etc.) also comes with a partial penumbral lunar eclipse.

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Lunar eclipses are a snoozefest compared to solar eclipses, but they can be fun as long as your expectations aren’t too high.

NASA points out what to expect:

The moon will start to enter the partial shadow on Saturday night, July 4, 2020, at 11:07 p.m. At 12:30 Sunday, (the peak of the eclipse) about 35 percent of the moon will be in the partial shadow. The moon will finish exiting the partial shadow of the Earth at 1:52 a.m. The moon will be close enough to opposite the Sun that its northern edge will pass through the partial shadow of the Earth — called a partial penumbral eclipse.

It’s likely that watching the full moon rise would be more enjoyable, especially from the beach. In Jacksonville, the moon rise will be at 8:23p.m. on Saturday and at 9:18p.m. on Sunday.