Set Your Alarm: A Rare Lunar Eclipse Will Light Up Michigan’s Sky Early Tuesday

If you are willing to set your alarm a little earlier Tuesday morning, Michigan has a pretty incredible reward waiting for you.

A rare total lunar eclipse will turn the moon a deep, blood red before sunrise, and it will be the last one we see until late 2028.

How can I see Tuesday Morning’s Eclipse?

The eclipse will begin at 4:50 am on Tuesday, March 2nd when the moon starts slipping into Earth’s shadow. During a total lunar eclipse, Earth moves directly between the sun and the full moon. As the shadow fully covers the moon, it takes on that dramatic red glow that people call a blood moon.

According to NASA, solar and lunar eclipses happen because of a precise alignment of the sun, Earth and moon. We get between four and seven eclipses a year, but total lunar eclipses that are easily visible here in Michigan don’t happen all the time. Totality for this one will last about an hour, with the full show stretching across several hours before dawn.

If you live somewhere with a clear view of the sky and minimal light pollution, you should be able to see it from your backyard. But if you do not, or you just want to experience it with other early risers, there are several viewing events happening across Michigan.

The Kent County Parks announced they are keeping six parks open overnight into Tuesday morning for stargazing:
• Fisk Knob in Cedar Springs
• Fallasburg Park in Lowell
• Wahlfield Park in Alpine Township
• Luton Park in Rockford
• Secchia Meadows in Walker
• Thornapple Riverbend in Caledonia

For those on the east side of the state, the Delta College Planetarium in downtown Bay City is hosting a free public viewing starting at 5 am on its rooftop observation deck.

No special glasses are required for a lunar eclipse like they are for a solar eclipse, so you will be able to look at it safely with the naked eye. However, a pair of binoculars would make it even better, but they aren’t necessary.

It is easy to roll over and hit snooze and see the photos later, but this feels bigger than your normal Tuesday morning routine. A blood red moon hanging over Michigan before most of us even pour our first cup of coffee, how cool is that?