OCC to Host Lunar Eclipse Viewing Sept. 27

The Orange Coast College Astronomy Department will host a viewing of a total lunar eclipse on Sunday, Sept. 27. The eclipse, which is the last in a four-eclipse series that began in April 2014, will be visible in the Pacific, the Americas, Europe, Africa and western Asia.

“The lunar eclipse on Sept. 27 is the last total lunar eclipse visible from California until January 2019,” said OCC’s newest astronomy instructor, Dr. Jerome Fang. “It is also the last eclipse in the so-called ‘lunar tetrad’ that began in April 2014, where four total lunar eclipses occur in a row. The next tetrad event isn’t until 2032, so now’s the perfect time to come out and witness a truly rare celestial event.”

OCC’s event will begin at 5 p.m., with the eclipse expected to reach totality shortly after 7 p.m. PDT. The moon is expected to appear in a color ranging from a light orange to a deeper shade of red, known as a “blood moon.”

OCC students and the public will have the opportunity to view the eclipse through telescopes provided by the school. However, the eclipse also will be visible without a telescope.

Parking for the event is free. For more information about OCC’s astronomy department visit https://www.orangecoastcollege.edu/academics/divisions/math_science/astronomy/