Total Lunar Eclipse Expected at the End of AFC Championship Game
A total lunar eclipse will occur on Sunday evening after the end of the AFC Championship Game between the Chiefs and Patriots.
After the game, football fans in North America will be able to step outside and watch the first visible total lunar eclipse in the Americas in three years at around 11:41 p.m. EST. The eclipse will last for one hour and 2 minutes, according to a report from Space.com. People on the East Coast of the United States will have the best view of the eclipse. It will be the last total lunar eclipse until May 2021 and the last one visible in the Americas until May 2022.
A lunar eclipse happens when the Moon passes behind the Earth and into the Earth's shadow. The Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon, which causes the Moon to glow red as the only light reflected from the lunar surface is refracted by the Earth's atmosphere. A total eclipse occurs when the Earth completely blocks light from the Sun from reaching the Moon.
This is not the first time a total lunar eclipse has coincided with a major Boston sporting event.
However, according to Space.com, this will be the first total lunar eclipse visible start-to-finish in the Eastern United States that begins before midnight in exactly 19 years. It is the first total eclipse visible in North America in three years.
Fans who would like to see natural splendor after a day of football can easily view the lunar eclipse without any special equipment, unlike a solar eclipse.
