Block A with moon behind it

True Aggie Night during total eclipse of the moon

Utahn’s will witness a total lunar eclipse Wednesday at 4:48 a.m. Total coverage will begin at 5:51 a.m. and will gradually recede until the moon sets at around 6:31 a.m.

“Eclipses of the moon are perfectly safe to observe with just the naked eye,” said Patrick Wiggins, the NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory solar system ambassador for Utah.

Lunar eclipses occur when the sun, Earth and moon form a straight line and the moon is blocked in the shadow from the Earth.

The moon might display different colors such as red, yellow or copper, during totality. Wiggins said those wanting to see these colors should seek areas with less urban light pollution.  

The last lunar eclipse visible from Utah was in 2015 and the next one will be in January of 2019. More information about the upcoming visible eclipses in Utah is available at http://utahastro.info.

The USU Alumni Association will be hosting its traditional True Aggie Night, starting Wednesday evening and continuing into Thursday morning.

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@ConnorPutnam1

Photo illustration by Matthew Halton

Editors note: an earlier version of this story appeared with incorrect dates for True Aggie Night. The story has been updated with the correct dates.