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Won’t see the blood moon part in most of the US

Unlike solar eclipses, which are only visible from specific places on Earth, lunar eclipses are visible from anywhere it is nighttime. Lunar eclipses don't occur every month because the plane of the lunar orbit is slightly tilted relative to the plane of the Earth's orbit, so the Earth, sun and moon don't always line up to put the moon in Earth's shadow. For the Jan. 31 lunar eclipse, viewers in some places will not be able to see the entire event because it starts near moonrise or moonset. Lunar eclipses are only visible on Earth's night side.

Observers in New York City will see the moon enter Earth's penumbra (the lighter, outer part of its shadow) at 5:51 a.m. on Jan. 31. The penumbra darkens the moon only a little; unless you're especially keen eyed, it is often difficult to notice. The moon will touch the umbra, the darker part of the shadow that gives the eclipse the distinctive look of darkening and reddening the moon, at 6:48 a.m. local time. But the moon sets only 16 minutes later, so New Yorkers will get to see only the first part of the eclipse. To see as much of the eclipse as possible, you'll want to be near a flat western horizon.

The situation gets better as you move west. Chicagoans will see the penumbra touch the moon at 4:51 a.m. local time, and it will still be a good 26.7 degrees above the horizon (about 53 times the apparent width of the full moon). The umbral eclipse will start at 5:48 a.m. local time, and by 6:16a.m., the moon will take on its characteristic blood-red color as it enters totality. Even so, it will set only minutes later, at 7:03 a.m., just as the sun rises.

I was noticing something was odd about the moon this morning. The cloud over part of it wasn’t moving. Then I checked the internet and discovered I was watching a lunar eclipse.

The word just never got to me.