How to see it on Thursday

The moon will turn a deep copper color for several hours Thursday night. It won’t be because the world is ending and a plague of frogs is looming but because a total lunar eclipse — the first visible from the Bay Area in three years — will be upon us. 

Unlike a total solar eclipse, in which the sun is darkened for a few minutes, a lunar eclipse creeps toward completion. Although the forecast calls for rain, any breaks in the clouds will allow viewers in Northern California to view this rare celestial phenomenon starting at 8:57 p.m. The so-called blood moon, as it passes through the Earth’s shadow, will begin at 10:09 p.m. and achieve its darkest state by 11:26 p.m., at which point the process will appear to reverse. 

This eclipse — easily seen with the naked eye and perfectly safe to watch without protection — won’t end until 3 a.m. Friday.