East Coast Skywatchers Can See a Rare 'Impossible Sunrise' Tomorrow Morning-Here's How to See the Optical Illusion

"The eclipse is set to unfold in the early morning hours of March 3 with totality (or the phase when the moon is completely immersed in the darkest part of the Earth's shadow) expected to occur under fully dark skies and last nearly an hour. In addition to North America, the display will be visible in the Pacific, eastern Australia, and New Zealand."

"The phenomenon is called a 'selenelion,' or more commonly referred to as the 'impossible sunrise.' It occurs when the sun and an eclipsed moon appear above the horizon at the same time near sunrise or sunset. Simple geometry says it shouldn't be possible. During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth is positioned directly between the sun and moon."

"The reason you can sometimes see both comes down to the way Earth's atmosphere bends light near the horizon. That refraction lifts the apparent position of celestial objects by about half a degree-roughly the width of the sun or moon-making both look slightly higher than they truly are."

A total lunar eclipse occurring on March 3 will transform the full moon into a crimson blood moon, visible across western North America, the Pacific, eastern Australia, and New Zealand. Totality will last nearly an hour under fully dark skies. On the East Coast, the eclipse will coincide with sunrise, creating an opportunity to observe a selenelion or 'impossible sunrise'—a rare atmospheric illusion where both the sun and eclipsed moon appear above the horizon simultaneously. This phenomenon occurs because Earth's atmosphere refracts light near the horizon, lifting the apparent position of celestial objects by approximately half a degree, making both bodies appear higher than their actual positions. The overlap is expected to last one to three minutes.

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