'Snow Moon' Lunar Eclipse, Green Comet Will Be Visible Over NYC Friday Night

By Kara Seymour (Patch Staff)

NEW YORK, NY — The skies over NYC will give us a dazzling winter show on the evening of Friday, Feb. 10, and the wee hours of Saturday, Feb. 11. That is, if the clouds in the weather forecast decide to kindly drift offstage for a spell.

On tap: a full moon (February's full moon is called the "snow moon"), a green comet and a lunar eclipse.

A lot to take in, we know. Here are the details and the best times to watch:

• The lunar surface of the snow moon will be subtly shadowed by a penumbral lunar eclipse — which only happens when the Earth, the sun and the moon align, according to EarthSky.

• This will the last penumbral lunar eclipse until 2020, AccuWeather says.

• The eclipse will be best viewed from the eastern portions of North America after sunset Friday night. It is expected to begin around 5:32 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and will peak at 7:43 p.m., according to Space.com. The beginning of the eclipse may not be visible for people in the Midwest and along the Pacific, because the moon will rise close to the horizon around the same time as the sunset, the site says.

• Can't see the eclipse from your neighborhood, due to light pollution or bad weather? You can also watch it online, courtesy of the US Naval Observatory.

• You'll need to stay up extra late to catch the third celestial event: Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková streaking by the Earth. The comet will be visible just before dawn on Saturday, according to Weather.com. Bring your binoculars.

• The comet, also known as the New Year comet, will be the closest it has been to Earth since 2011, according to Weather.com. ("Close" is a relative word: The comet will pass about 8 million miles from Earth this weekend.)

Of course, your luck in catching Friday's sky show depends on the weather.

In the mid-Atlantic region, including NYC, isolated snow showers are possible Friday before midnight. It could be cloudy, and there's a 50 percent chance of precipitation, according to the National Weather Service.

People in southern states, where skies should be clear, may have a better chance of getting a good glimpse.