A deep partial lunar eclipse is set to sweep across southeast Louisiana Thursday night into early Friday morning, and the region is positioned to see the entire event from start to finish, weather permitting.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align perfectly, casting the Moon into Earth’s shadow. However, it doesn't go pitch black. Instead, sunlight filters through the edges of Earth’s atmosphere and reaches the Moon to give off an iconic crimson glow. Essentially, the light of every sunrise and sunset on Earth gets projected onto the lunar surface.

While technically a partial lunar eclipse this time, it won't be far off from a full one. Roughly 96% of the Moon's disk will be inside Earth's dark umbral shadow at maximum, meaning it should look very close to a total lunar eclipse.

The partial eclipse officially begins at 9:33 p.m., with the shadow becoming very obvious around 10 p.m. Maximum eclipse hits at 11:12 p.m., with the Moon sitting about 41 degrees above the southeastern horizon, a comfortable viewing angle that doesn't require a flat or open horizon.

At maximum eclipse, the large eclipsed portion should appear dark copper, rusty orange, or reddish, while a thin sliver remains much brighter. NASA notes that once enough of the bright lunar surface disappears, eyes can dark-adapt enough to see the reddish color much more clearly.

The viewing might be affected by weather. After early morning storms, lingering clouds throughout the course of the day could hang around into the evening as well. Still, some breaks in the clouds are possible, meaning viewing this event is not completely off the table.

No eclipse glasses are needed. A lunar eclipse is completely safe to view with the naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope. Light pollution is not a concern since the Moon itself is the target.

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