Jack C. Davis Observatory staff and volunteers are over the Moon about its upcoming celestial event. So much so that it is going to remain open past midnight to provide full coverage for attendees.

JCDO at Western Nevada College is planning a total lunar eclipse viewing party on March 13-14 from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. The event is free to the public.

“The real action starts just after 10 p.m. as the partial eclipse starts. That's when you'll start to notice a shadow covering more and more of the Moon,” said JCDO Director Dr. Thomas Herring.

What will make this lunar event spectacular is that late in the evening on March 13 the Moon will move into the Earth’s shadow, blocking it from the Sun. This will cause the moon to change in color from silver to a rusty red, or a so-called Blood Moon.

“With the totality lasting about an hour we should have plenty of time to view not only the Moon but also things nearby, which is normally not possible during a full Moon due to the glare from the bright Moon,” Dr. Herring said.

The full lunar eclipse begins at 11:26 p.m. and ends at 12:31 a.m. The maximum total lunar eclipse is set for 11:58 p.m. It’s the first total lunar eclipse in almost three years.

"We are very fortunate to have a dedicated team at Jack C. Davis Observatory that will provide the community with start-to-finish viewing of this lunar event. It's also an opportunity for the public to learn more about JCDO and what it has to offer,” said WNC President Dr. J. Kyle Dalpe.

Attendees will have an opportunity to rate the lunar eclipse via a data sheet provided by NASA JPL. The rating is based on the Danjon Scale of Lunar Eclipse Brightness.

“We'll gather and compile results to produce a community rating for our local viewing of the eclipse,” he said.

If weather interferes with viewing of the Moon, the observatory will provide a livestream of the eclipse from another location in North America.

JCDO is located at 2269 Vanpatten Ave. on the northern end of the Carson City campus.