New Yorkers Will Witness Two Eclipses In the Coming Weeks?

As parts of New York state prepare for the total solar eclipse April 8, sky watchers and astronomy buffs will be happy to know that there are actually two eclipses within the coming weeks.

This, however, is all completely normal, due to the natural alignment of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. WRAL says that eclipses like these actually fall during two "eclipse seasons", which are separated by around six months, due to the lunar and calendar years not lining up very accurately.

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Astronomers say a lunar eclipse will be seen above New York, and everywhere in North America about a week before the big solar eclipse. Earth Sky says that lunar and solar eclipses "always come in pairs", with one following the other in a period of "approximately two weeks."

Lunar Eclipse Arrives Before the Big Solar Eclipse Event April 8

Fox 13 News says that a faint lunar eclipse will occur late March 24, into the early hours of Monday, March 25. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon becomes completely immersed in the penumbral cone of the Earth, without touching our planet's shadow.

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This will not be a total lunar eclipse though. Fox describes the event as a "slight dimming of the Moon's brightness", where if you "don't know when to look, you might even miss it." Basically, a portion of the Moon will appear darker than usual during the early morning hours.

The last total lunar eclipse was in November 2022, and the next one won't occur again until March 13, 2025.

Total lunar eclipses stand out more, as the Moon takes on a dark crimson red (or copper) color, which happens because sunlight reaching the Moon must pass through a long and dense layer of Earth's atmosphere.

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