This spring, the majority of people in the United States will be able to see back-to-back solar eclipses. After the faint lunar eclipse, we will see the grand finale of a total solar eclipse two weeks later.
The total solar eclipse on April 8 will be visible in 14 states and parts of Mexico and Canada, while the penumbral lunar eclipse will be visible across North and South America on March 25.
According to NASA astronomers, lunar eclipses always occur within a few weeks of or before a solar eclipse.
From the night of March 24 to the early morning of March 25, a very faint or penumbral lunar eclipse will be visible across the United States as the moon passes outside of Earth’s shadow.
During a penumbral lunar eclipse, the moon’s brightness will be slightly dimmed, so if you don’t know when to see it, you might miss it.
If you look at the moon early in the morning on March 25th and then again in the middle of the night, you’ll notice a difference in brightness.
The image below shows the moon’s dimming phase during the 2023 penumbral lunar eclipse.
On the afternoon of April 8, a total solar eclipse will plunge a 160-mile-wide path across the United States into darkness near dusk for the duration of the total solar eclipse.
Even those who aren’t participating in a total solar eclipse can still see up to 99% of the total solar eclipse, which is still an amazing sight.
Leave your solar glasses on the entire time unless you are doing a total observation for a few minutes.
Solar eclipses aren’t the only astronomical observations you can enjoy this spring.
Comet 12P/Ponsbrooks is becoming more prominent in the night sky as it approaches its closest approach to the Sun, known as perihelion.
Comet 12P is known for its explosive outbursts as it heats up, and astronomers have been able to capture these reactions in the night sky.
The comet is expected to be visible to the naked eye toward the end of March, and Comet 12P is expected to be just 25 degrees from the Sun, just in time for the total solar eclipse on April 8.
