FLORENCE – Eyes will be on the skies over north Alabama tonight as a partial lunar eclipse comes into view.

The Planetarium at the University of North Alabama will host a public observing event with telescopes to view and photograph the eclipse. 

“Lunar eclipses occur when the full moon passes into the shadow of the Earth,” said Dr. Mel Blake, planetarium director and associate professor of physics and astronomy. “The result is the moon slowly goes from a full moon to a dark red color and back to completely full in a few hours.

“Since this is a partial eclipse, only a portion of the moon will be eclipsed by the Earth, but  it will still make for an interesting event.” 

The partial eclipse will begin at 9:12 p.m. and the maximum eclipse is at 9:44 p.m. The eclipse ends at 10:15 p.m. The entire partial eclipse will be visible from Alabama.

No particular or specialized equipment is required to observe a lunar eclipse; although, a telescope and binoculars will enhance the overall experience.