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Fourth of July celebrations will end with a lunar eclipse this year

Most of North and South America will be able to see the eclipse, which will last for less than three hours overnight on July fourth and fifth.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — You will want to keep your eyes to the sky for a few reasons this Fourth of July. A lunar eclipse will be visible across most of North and South America for a few hours on the fourth and into the fifth of July.

There are three kinds of lunar eclipses, a total, a partial, and a penumbral eclipse.

This 4th of July, we will see a penumbral lunar eclipse, meaning that the moon passes through only a portion of the Earth’s outer shadow.

Credit: WLTX

Fortunately, you do not need special glasses or a telescope to view the event, simply look up in the sky!

This type of eclipse will not be as noticeable or colorful as a total lunar eclipse. During the penumbral eclipse, you will notice a dark shading on the moon’s surface.

The window of opportunity to see this event is less than 3 hours long.

The eclipse starts at 11:07 pm Saturday night and lasts until 1:52 am Sunday morning, although the best time to view it will be in the middle of the event.

Credit: WLTX

Unfortunately, there is the chance for afternoon and evening storms this weekend across the Midlands. Hopefully the clouds are able to clear enough to get a few glimpses of the eclipse during the night.

Credit: WLTX

The last time a lunar eclipse was visible in this part of the world was in 2019.

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