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Set to turn a coppery shade of red in the sky this Tuesday, November 8, the full moon will kick off Election Day with an early morning event of its own — a total lunar eclipse.
The second one of the year, the eclipse will begin at 3:02 a.m. ET, with the moon initially dimming for the first hour, and end at 8:50 a.m. ET.
At totality, the stage at which the entire moon will be in Earth’s shadow, the moon will turn a dark reddish hue, which is why a total eclipse is also called a blood moon. Sky gazers will be able to see the striking effect beginning at 5:17 a.m. ET, according to NASA.
“They aren’t that common, so it’s always nice to get a hold of them when you can,” said Dr. Alphonse Sterling, an astrophysicist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “I think they’re excellent learning devices for people who want to get into astronomy.”
A total lunar eclipse occurs approximately once every 1 ½ years on average, with the next total lunar eclipse not taking place until March 14, 2025 — although partial and penumbral lunar eclipses will continue to occur in the meantime. A penumbral lunar eclipse happens when the moon moves through the outer shadow, or penumbra, of the Earth, so the visual effect is more subtle.
Those viewing the total lunar eclipse will be able to see the curvature of Earth’s shadow as it begins to slowly swallow the moon completely. At least a portion of the phenomenon will be visible throughout eastern Asia, Australia, the Pacific, North America and Central America, according to NASA.
Every first full moon of November is called the beaver moon in honor of the semiaquatic rodents. This is the time of year when beavers begin to take shelter after storing their food for the winter, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. The moon will be at its brightest at 6:02 a.m. ET, the almanac notes.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and moon align so that the moon passes into Earth’s shadow. Because of this arrangement, unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse can be enjoyed from anywhere the moon is present during the night. Nearby stars are usually obscured by the moon’s glow, but the moon will be dimmed enough for the duration of the eclipse that they will be revealed, according to Sterling.
“With solar eclipses, you have to be at the right place, but for lunar eclipses, it’s not nearly as sensitive to location,” Sterling said.
“The whole half of the earth that is in night during the period when the moon falls into the shadow can see it. So basically, it’s available to half the world.”
The same phenomenon that colors the sky blue and sunsets red is what causes the moon to turn its rusty red during a lunar eclipse, according to NASA. During a lunar eclipse, Earth’s atmosphere disperses sunlight, allowing red, orange and yellow light to pass through, and scattering away the blue light that is typically seen with the moon.
In the eastern United States and Canada, the moon will set before the eclipse is over, so it’s best to look toward the western horizon to see its entirety. Viewing a solar eclipse requires eye protection, but you can safely enjoy a lunar eclipse without any gear — though your view can be enhanced with binoculars.
“This is a really nice thing about lunar eclipses, in particular. You really need nothing except your eyes. The moon is a bright object, so you don’t need a particularly dark place to view the event,” Sterling said. “And the shadings, the beautiful red color that you see during the eclipse, you can see anywhere, even in the middle of a city.”
After the beaver blood moon, this year has one more full moon event, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. The cold moon takes place on December 7.
As for meteor showers, right now, you can view the South Taurids in the night sky. Catch the peak of these upcoming meteor shower events later this year, according to EarthSky’s 2022 meteor shower guide:
The Flower Moon lunar eclipse over NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans is shown from the initial partial eclipse to totality in a composite of seven images shot on Sunday, May 15, 2022. Credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker
On November 8, stargazers will have the opportunity to view a total lunar eclipse for the second time in 2022. At least a portion of the phenomenon will be visible throughout eastern Asia, Australia, the Pacific, and North America. The most recent total lunar eclipse took place in May.
Total lunar eclipses occur approximately once every 1.5 years on average, according to Alphonse Sterling, an astrophysicist from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. While the Moon has been providing generous eclipse viewing opportunities this year, viewers should take advantage of November’s eclipse because the next total lunar eclipse will not occur until 2025.
The Moon moves right to left, passing through the penumbra and umbra, leaving in its wake an eclipse diagram with the times at various stages of the eclipse. Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio
A total lunar eclipse occurs when Earth casts a complete shadow – called an umbra – over the Moon. Earth’s shadow is categorized into two parts: the umbra, the innermost part of the shadow where direct light from the Sun is completely blocked, and the penumbra, the outermost part of the shadow where the light is partially blocked.
When the Moon is within the umbra, it will turn a reddish hue. Lunar eclipses are sometimes called “Blood Moons” because of this phenomenon. The full moon in November is known as the Beaver Moon (also called the Frost or Frosty Moon, or the Snow Moon), making this a “Beaver Blood Moon.”
During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon and the Sun are on opposite sides of Earth. Many people wonder why lunar eclipses don’t happen every month given the Moon completes an orbit around Earth every 27 days. The reason is that the Moon’s orbit around Earth is tilted relative to Earth’s orbit around the Sun, so the Moon often passes above or below Earth’s shadow. Lunar eclipses are only possible when the orbits align so that the Moon is directly behind Earth relative to the Sun.
A nearly total eclipse of November’s full “Beaver Moon” captured over the city of New Orleans before dawn on November 19, 2021. The 97% eclipse clocked in at 3 hours, 28 minutes, and 24 seconds, making it the longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years. Credit: NASA/Michoud Assembly Facility
For North America, the action will start in the early hours of the morning on November 8. The partial eclipse will begin at 3:09 a.m. CST, with totality beginning at 4:16 a.m. and ending at 5:42 a.m. Then, the partial phase will resume, lasting until 6:49 a.m. Those in the eastern part of the United States will miss most or all of the last partial phase because the Moon will set during totality or shortly after totality ends.
Another feature of a total lunar eclipse is the Moon’s red hue during totality. The red color occurs because of the refraction, filtering, and scattering of light by Earth’s atmosphere. The scattering is a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering – named after the 19th-century British Physicist Lord Rayleigh.
A map showing where the November 8, 2022, lunar eclipse is visible. Contours mark the edge of the visibility region at eclipse contact times. The map is centered on 168°57’W, the sublunar longitude at mid-eclipse. Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio
Rayleigh scattering is also the reason for red sunrises and sunsets. Light from the Sun collides into the gases of Earth’s atmosphere and because of its shorter wavelength, blue light is filtered out, but red light is not easily scattered because of its longer wavelength. Some of that red light is refracted, or bent, as it passes through Earth’s atmosphere and ends up shining on the Moon with a ghostly red light. The degree of redness of a fully eclipsed Moon can be influenced by atmospheric conditions resulting from volcanic eruptions, fires, and dust storms.
But what does Earth look like from the Moon’s perspective during a lunar eclipse? According to Mitzi Adams, astrophysicist at Marshall, astronauts on the Moon during a total lunar eclipse would see a red ring around a silhouetted Earth. As
Sterling says a fun activity for those who stargaze with family or friends is to discuss who notices the reddish hue of totality first and how it progresses throughout the eclipse.
Gain more understanding of lunar eclipses, learn about NASA’s observations of eclipses, and inspire young stargazers with activities and information.
Finally, if you want to know what else is happening as you watch the skies in November, check out Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s latest “What’s Up” video:
A total lunar eclipse brings some magic to the morning sky on November 8th, and the Leonid meteors peak after midnight on November 18th, with some glare from a 35% full moon. In addition, enjoy pretty views on other days in November when the Moon visits planets
The second total lunar eclipse of 2022 will turn the moon a reddish-copper color for 85 minutes on Nov. 8, 2022, though what you’ll see during this safe naked-eye event will depend on your location on the planet.
Often colloquially called a Blood Moon, a total lunar eclipse, happens as the full moon (in this case November’s full Beaver Moon) moves into the deep umbral shadow of the Earth and receives only light first filtered by Earth’s atmosphere, will be visible from North America and parts of South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
A partial lunar eclipse will be visible from Iceland, parts of South America, south and central Asia and Russia. A penumbral lunar eclipse — when the moon is in the lighter penumbral shadow from our planet — will be visible from eastern Brazil and Argentina, northern Scandinavia and the Middle East.
Related: Lunar eclipses 2022: When, where & how to see them
This is a global event happening at the same time for all observers, but local time will depend on your location, which you can find out on TimeandDate.com (opens in new tab).
According to NASA, the partial lunar eclipse begins November 8 (opens in new tab) at 4:44 a.m. EST (0844 GMT). Lunar totality — the Blood Moon phase — begins on November 8 at 05:17 a.m EST (0917 GMT) and ends at 6:42 a.m. EST (1042 GMT). A partial eclipse will then be visible until 8:05 a.m. EST (1205 GMT). Note that the faint penumbral moon phase of the eclipse will begin about an hour before the first partial eclipse and end about an hour after the second partial eclipse.
Throughout the entire event, it will also be possible to see the seventh planet Uranus close to the eclipsed moon (opens in new tab). In parts of Asia — including Hong Kong (opens in new tab) — Uranus will be briefly hidden behind the moon during totality.
The times at various stages of the eclipse in EST for the total lunar eclipse on November 8, 2022 (Image credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio)
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If you want to photograph the moon or want to prepare your gear for the total lunar eclipse, check out our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography. Read our guides on how to photograph a lunar eclipse, as well as how to photograph the moon with a camera for some helpful tips to plan out your lunar photo session.
This will be the second and final lunar eclipse in 2022. The last one took place on May 16, 2022. There will also be two lunar eclipses in 2023, though they won’t be nearly as impressive a spectacle. The first on May 5 to 6, 2023 is a faint penumbral lunar eclipse visible from southern and eastern Europe, Antarctica, most of Asia, Australia, Africa as well as the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans.
The second will be a slight partial lunar eclipse on Oct. 28 to 29, 2023 visible at least partly from Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, North America, northern and eastern South America, the Arctic, Antarctica and the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.
Here are some tips to help you get the most out of the November 8 total lunar eclipse.
What time is the blood moon?
What you’ll see during the total lunar eclipse entirely depends on where you observe it from. A schedule specific to your location (opens in new tab) is available on TimeandDate.com. Here’s when to see the phases of the total lunar eclipse from North America (all times are for November 8, 2022):
Total Eclipse of the moon. Nov. 8, 2022
Eclipse event
EST
CST
MST
PST
Penumbra first visible?
3:48 a.m.
2:48 a.m.
1:48 a.m.
12:48 a.m.
Moon enters umbra
4:08 a.m.
3:08 a.m.
2:08 a.m.
1:08 a.m.
Total eclipse begins
5:16 a.m.
4:16 a.m.
3:16 a.m.
2:16 a.m.
Mid-eclipse
5:59 a.m.
4:59 a.m.
3:59 a.m.
2:59 a.m.
Total eclipse ends
6:41 a.m.
5:41 a.m.
4:41 a.m.
2:41 a.m.
Moon leaves umbra
—-
—-
5:49 a.m.
4:49 a.m.
Penumbra last visible?
—-
—-
6:09 a.m.
5:09 a.m.
It’s worth getting outside at least an hour before totality to watch the partial lunar eclipse. As the moon begins to enter Earth’s dark central (umbral) shadow it turns dark and, gradually, grows reddish.
Where to watch the lunar eclipse online
There are several livestreams of the event scheduled for YouTube, embedded below.
First up is Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, which will begin livestreaming views through telescopes at 2:00 a.m. MST on November 8 (4:00 a.m. EST and 0800 GMT on November 8) on the Lowell Observatory YouTube channel (opens in new tab). Lowell Historian Kevin Schindler and Moon expert John Compton will host, with totality at 4:00 a.m. MST (6:00 a.m. EST and 1000 GMT).
There is also a broadcast scheduled by TimeandDate.com which is available on their website (opens in new tab) and YouTube channel. It plans to broadcast the entire event from its mobile observatory in Roswell, New Mexico and take live feeds from San Diego, California and from Perth in Western Australia. The broadcast is scheduled to start at 4:00 a.m. EST (0800 GMT).
Astronomical science and education service the Virtual Telescope Project will livestream views of the event from around the world on its WebTV page. The online, free lunar total eclipse session is scheduled for 4:30 a.m. EST (0830 GMT) and will include astro-imagers from the U.S., Canada, Australia and India. It’s presented by astrophysicist Gianluca Masi at the Virtual Telescope Project.
There will likely be more webcasts as we get closer to the November 8 event. We’ll share those on Space.com in a dedicated webcast guide as we learn more.
Why is a blood moon red?
Despite its nickname, a totally eclipsed moon looks an orangey-copper reddish color and not a blood-red color.
During a total lunar eclipse, a full moon passes first into the penumbra or fuzzy outer shadow of Earth (remaining gray, but getting darker) and then enters Earth’s umbra or deep central shadow. The only sunlight reaching the moon passes through Earth’s atmosphere, which turns the lunar surface red because of Rayleigh scattering. Red, orange and yellow light have the longest wavelengths, so these light waves strike few particles as they travel through Earth’s atmosphere compared to blue light, which has shorter wavelengths. The more dust or clouds in Earth’s atmosphere during the eclipse, the redder the Moon will appear, according to NASA (opens in new tab).
It’s rather as if thousands of sunsets and sunrises are being reflected by the moon.
Penumbral eclipses are much more subtle. They occur when a full moon passes only through the much lighter penumbra shadow of Earth. The moon’s darkening is obvious compared to the glare of a full moon, but it’s not a particularly dramatic change. The moon does not turn red during a penumbral lunar eclipse.
Where is the lunar eclipse visible?
NASA’s map showing where the November 8, 2022 lunar eclipse will be visible. (Image credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio)
(opens in new tab)
This total lunar eclipse will be visible in North America and parts of South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, but as you can see from the visibility diagrams, what you see — and when you see it — entirely depends on where you are located.
Only the partial phases will be visible from Iceland, parts of South America, south and central Asia and Russia, while just the penumbral phases will be visible from eastern Brazil and Argentina, northern Scandinavia and the Middle East. Europe and Africa are on the day-side of the planet during this eclipse and will not observe anything.
Lunar eclipse viewing tips
Unlike a solar eclipse, which requires certified eclipse glasses, an eclipse of the moon is completely safe to look at with your naked eyes. Also unlike a solar eclipse, the totality phase lasts much more than just a few minutes.
Related: How to observe the sun safely (and what to look for)
The lunar eclipse on November 8, 2022, will take several hours, with the partial eclipse lasting about an hour on either side of an 85 minutes-long ‘Blood Moon’ totality.
The penumbral phases are interesting, but we recommend you’re outside to see the start of the partial phase. As well as it being an interesting event in itself that will also help get your eyes adjusted to the darkness ahead of totality.
Equipment such as cameras, telescopes and binoculars may need a few hours to adjust to the different temperatures and humidity outside, so bring them out as soon as possible to avoid issues with dew.
Astrophotographers will want to consult our guide on how to photograph a lunar eclipse. Make sure to practice before the big event to make sure all your settings are correct and that you are comfortable with the process.
When you’re outside, make sure you dress for the weather and do what you can to feel comfortable for the event. Lawn chairs, hydration and keeping bright phones or flashlights away will maximize the pleasure of the eclipse.
What causes lunar eclipses?
During a lunar eclipse the sun, Earth and moon align so that Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the moon and casts a shadow across the lunar surface. Whether the moon sits in the penumbra or umbra will dictate the type of lunar eclipse. During a total lunar eclipse, the umbra completely covers the lunar surface. In this diagram, the moon is located in the penumbral shadow so it is experiencing a penumbral eclipse. (Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)
Lunar eclipses occur when a full moon passes into the shadow of the Earth. Since the Earth and the moon have slightly tilted orbits to each other, this happens generally a couple of times a year when the tilts of the orbits align during a full moon. Depending on how that happens, you may get a penumbral, partial or total eclipse.
Partial eclipses occur when the moon goes partially into the umbra, or deeper shadow, of our planet. The moon will also not turn red, but you will see a dark “bite” out of the visible surface, which represents the Earth’s shadow.
Penumbral eclipses happen when the moon skirts into the lighter shadow of the Earth. This type of eclipse is sometimes hard to see, as the moon will only grow slightly darker. It also will not turn red.
During a total lunar eclipse, all three types of lunar eclipse are seen as phases as the full moon travels through the center of Earth’s shadow in space.
When is the next lunar eclipse?
In 2023 there are two lunar eclipses to look forward to. On May 5 to 6 of that year a penumbral lunar eclipse will be visible, at least partially, from southern and eastern Europe, Antarctica, most of Asia, Australia, Africa as well as the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans.
The second and final lunar eclipse of 2023, a partial, will occur on Oct. 28 to 29. This eclipse will be visible at least partially from Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, North America, northern and eastern South America, the Arctic, Antarctica and the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.
Following a penumbral lunar eclipse on March 25, 2024, and a partial lunar eclipse on September 18, 2024, the next total lunar eclipse will occur on March 14, 2025. The total phase will be visible from North America, South America and the Pacific, with some of the phases visible from Europe, Africa and Asia.
Editor’s Note: If you snap an amazing lunar eclipse photo and would like to share it with Space.com’s readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com
Jamie Carter is the editor of WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com (opens in new tab)
Join our Space Forums (opens in new tab) to keep talking about space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.
Bibliography
Hong Kong Space Museum Lunar Eclipse. Hong Kong Space Museum. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Space/en_US/web/spm/resources/special-astronomical-events/lunar-eclipse/total-lunar-eclipse.html
Hunt, J. L. (2022, October 9). 2022, November 8: Morning lunar eclipse, Mercury, superior conjunction. When the Curves Line Up. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://whenthecurveslineup.com/2022/10/09/2022-november-8-morning-lunar-eclipse-mercury-superior-conjunction/ (opens in new tab)
Lowell Observatory/YouTube. (2022, October 11). Total Lunar Eclipse | November 8, 2022. YouTube. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsXS3iDs0yA&ab_channel=LowellObservatory (opens in new tab)
NASA Science Visualization Studio: November 8, 2022 Total Lunar Eclipse: Shadow view. NASA. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5032 (opens in new tab)
TimeandDate. Eclipse map. Map of total lunar eclipse on November 8, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/map/2022-november-8 (opens in new tab)
TimeandDate. Live stream: Total lunar eclipse November 8, 2022. LIVE Stream: Total Lunar Eclipse November 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.timeanddate.com/live/eclipse-lunar-2022-november-8 (opens in new tab)
TimeandDate. November 7–8, 2022 total Lunar Eclipse (blood moon). Total Lunar Eclipse on November 7–8, 2022 – Where and When to See. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2022-november-8 (opens in new tab)
TimeandDate/YouTube. Live: Total lunar eclipse – november 08, 2022. YouTube. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjKUlaGmE2g&ab_channel=timeanddate (opens in new tab)
The Virtual Telescope Project 2.0. Virtual Telescope’s webtv. The Virtual Telescope Project WebTV. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/webtv/ (opens in new tab)
Wasser, M., Wright, E., & Vogel, T. (2022, October 13). What you need to know about the lunar eclipse. NASA Science. Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://moon.nasa.gov/news/185/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-lunar-eclipse (opens in new tab)
Tony Dow, the actor who endeared himself to millions of TV viewers as Wally Cleaver, the all-American big brother on the wholesome sitcom “Leave It to Beaver,” died July 27 at his home in Topanga, Calif. He was 77.
The cause was complications from liver cancer, said his manager, Frank Bilotta. Mr. Dow’s managerial team incorrectly announced his death a day earlier, relying on erroneous family information.
“Leave It to Beaver,” airing from 1957 to 1963, depicted an idyllic suburban postwar American household and became a cultural touchstone of the baby-boom generation. Hugh Beaumont was the handsome, ever-patient father, Ward Cleaver, and Barbara Billingsley played the glamorous and understanding matriarch, June, who vacuumed in high heels and always tucked her boys into their beds.
Cast as the adorable title character — the exuberant, freckle-faced Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver — was Jerry Mathers, who was 8 when the show began. Mr. Dow, who was 12, played the good-natured and athletic older son, Wally, who was developing an interest in girls. Ken Osmond had a memorable, recurring role as Wally’s insincere friend Eddie, who is always kissing up to the adults.
The sitcom began on CBS but appeared for most of its run on the third-place ABC network and never was a big ratings success. But thanks to its gentle, wry humor and an appealing ensemble cast, it thrived in syndication far longer than more popular family sitcoms of that era, including “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” “Father Knows Best” and “The Donna Reed Show,” TV scholar Robert Thompson has noted.
With his light-brown hair, electric-blue eyes and the athletic build of a championship diver — which he was before joining the show — Mr. Dow was promoted as a teen heartthrob and received more than 1,000 fan letters a week at the sitcom’s peak. Years later, Mathers recalled Mr. Dow was much like his “cool” character: soft-spoken, suave and possessed of gymnastics skills that he showed off by walking up and down a flight of stairs on his hands.
Finding that options for a former child actor were limited, Mr. Dow was making a living on the dinner-theater circuit in the 1970s. One producer, mounting a Kansas City, Mo., production of the swinging-bachelor farce “Boeing, Boeing,” had the idea of reuniting Mr. Dow and Mathers. To their shock, they met with packed and wildly enthusiastic audiences for weeks.
The two actors toured in another romp, “So Long, Stanley!,” for more than a year before Hollywood producers hired them and other surviving members of the original “Leave It to Beaver” cast — Beaumont had died in 1982 — for a CBS-TV movie reunion, “Still the Beaver” (1983).
Wally was now a successful lawyer, Beaver was unemployed, divorced and trying to cope with his own mischievous sons, and June was still dispensing helpful household advice. The program was a ratings smash and spawned two sitcoms, notably “The New Leave It to Beaver” on Ted Turner’s superstation, WTBS, from 1986 to 1989.
Many critics likened watching the “Beaver” revivals to entering a time warp. But Mr. Dow defended the enduring appeal of the idealized Cleavers amid a rapidly changing TV culture.
“When I see a show about drugs, it can be an interesting story and I can get involved, but it doesn’t have the same kind of identification as when Beaver took his father’s electric drill and made a hole in the garage door,” Mr. Dow told the Houston Chronicle in 1988. “Those kind of stories are what make up real life, and growing up from child to adulthood. People say the show is milk and cookies, but I disagree. I think it’s the essence of growing up.”
Anthony Lee Dow was born in Hollywood on April 13, 1945, and grew up in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles. His mother was a onetime Mack Sennett “Bathing Beauty” who became a body double for silent-movie star Clara Bow and, briefly, a stuntwoman in westerns. His father designed, built and remodeled houses.
Mr. Dow said he grew up with no particular interest in show business, focusing instead on athletics. He was a trampolinist as well as a swimmer and a Junior Olympic and Western states diving champion. In 1956, when he was 11, he was asked by a lifeguard, an older guy with acting ambitions, to audition with him for a family-adventure TV show called “Johnny Wildlife.”
“He thought that would help him and me get the job since I was supposed to play his son,” Mr. Dow told the New York Daily News. “He didn’t get the role, but I did.” The pilot didn’t sell, and Mr. Dow was soon back to the swimming life, until the next year, when the producers of “Leave It to Beaver” came looking for a new Wally.
The child actor from the “Beaver” pilot had an unfortunate growth spurt, and one of the producers of “Johnny Wildlife” recommended Mr. Dow as a replacement.
After production of “Leave It to Beaver” ended, Mr. Dow studied painting and psychology at the University of California at Los Angeles, played dramatic and comedic guest parts on various TV series, and appeared on a daytime teenage soap opera called “Never Too Young.” But after he joined the National Guard in the mid-1960s, he said, his career stalled. Not knowing when he might be ordered to report for active duty made it almost impossible to make acting commitments.
Referring to a popular police show, he told the Philadelphia Inquirer, “I did one ‘Adam-12’ — I think because I was the only actor in town at that time with short hair.”
For years, he lived on a boat, made sculpture and lived on income earned primarily by running a construction business. Despite the perpetual airplay of “Leave It to Beaver,” Mr. Dow did not grow wealthy from the show. Because of a contract stipulation, he received residual payments for only four years after the sitcom went into syndication.
Beginning in his 20s, he said, he began a long and gradual descent into clinical depression. “I’d say inheritance had more to do with it than acting,” he told the Chicago Tribune. “It was an illness prevalent on my mother’s side of the family. But certainly ‘Leave It to Beaver’ had something to do with it. Certainly it had something to do with raising one’s expectations and establishing a certain criteria that you would expect to continue in life.”
Attempts to get back into acting only exacerbated his dark moods. He had played killers, single fathers and lawmen on other shows, but casting agents could not overcome their perception of him as clean-cut and earnest Wally. That so few people talked openly of depression complicated his private struggle, he said, and for years, he could not find ways to manage what he called a “self-absorbing feeling of worthlessness, of hopelessness.”
He was nearing 40 before he began to stabilize, thanks to what he called a major improvement in available drug treatments. In frequent speeches on mental health, Mr. Dow noted that he was “just one of millions” who have depression. “If Wally Cleaver can be depressed,” he said, “anybody can be.”
Turning away from acting to focus on other art forms also helped. He had modest success as a sculptor, with work appearing in galleries and international exhibitions. Starting with “The New Leave It to Beaver” in 1988, Mr. Dow also began a career as a TV director, and his credits included episodes of “Babylon 5” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”
His first marriage, to Carol Marlow, ended in divorce. In 1980, he married Lauren Shulkind, whom he met when she was working for an advertising firm and looking for an “all-American guy” to cast in a McDonald’s commercial. In addition to his wife, survivors include a son from his first marriage, Christopher; a brother; and a granddaughter.
In interviews, Mathers said there was a great deal of Mr. Dow in Wally, that the character was less a performance than a reflection. He was, by all accounts, an understated personality in a profession full of showoffs.
“I could never understand the reaction that Jerry or I would get from people,” Mr. Dow told the Kansas City Star in 2003. “Then I was on a plane once and I walked by this guy, and he looked really familiar to me. I asked a stewardess, ‘Who’s that guy?’ And she said, ‘Oh, that’s [Harlem Globetrotter] Meadowlark Lemon.’ And the biggest smile came across my face.
“All of a sudden I realized what it is,” he continued. “I mean, I don’t know what it is — but it happened to me. I just got that warm feeling and smiled and thought, ‘You know, that’s really cool.’ ”
Tony Dow, best known for his role as big brother Wally in the classic TV sitcom “Leave It to Beaver” has died. He was 77.
“We have received confirmation from Christopher, Tony’s son, that Tony passed away earlier this morning, with his loving family at his side to see him through this journey,” an announcement read on Dow’s Facebook account Wednesday afternoon.
“We know that the world is collectively saddened by the loss of this incredible man. He gave so much to us all and was loved by so many. One fan said it best — ‘It is rare when there is a person who is so universally loved like Tony,’” the statement added.
His son Christopher called it “a very sad day” in the announcement.
“Although this is a very sad day, I have comfort and peace that he is in a better place. He was the best Dad anyone could ask for. He was my coach, my mentor, my voice of reason, my best friend, my best man in my wedding, and my hero,” he said in the heartfelt tribute. “My wife said something powerful and shows the kind of man he was. She said: ‘Tony was such a kind man. He had such a huge heart and I’ve never heard Tony say a bad or negative thing about anyone.’”
Dow’s death was prematurely announced on Tuesday after his wife, Lauren Shulkind, mistakenly notified the actor’s management team.
Dow’s manager said Shulkind, 75, was “very distraught” over the condition of her husband and believed he had been declared dead.
On Tuesday night, the actor’s son, Christopher Dow, shared an update on Facebook, saying his father was in hospice care and in “his last hours.”
The post came hours after the actor’s management team announced his death prematurely.
In a now-deleted post, the statement — from Frank Bilotta and Renee James — read, “It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share with you the passing of our beloved Tony this morning.
Tony Dow, best known for his role as big brother Wally in the classic TV sitcom “Leave It to Beaver” has died.Getty ImagesDow (top) played Wally Cleaver on the iconic sitcom.Getty Images
“Tony was a beautiful soul — kind, compassionate, funny and humble. It was truly a joy to just be around him. His gentle voice and unpretentious manner was immediately comforting and you could not help but love him. The world has lost an amazing human being, but we are all richer for the memories that he has left us.”
Dow and Shuklind announced in May that the “Still the Beaver” star was diagnosed with cancer, but did not reveal what kind.
“Dear friends and fans of Tony Dow, I have some very sad news to share with you,” Shulkind wrote at the time. “Unfortunately, Tony has once again been diagnosed with cancer. He is approaching this reality so bravely, but it is truly heartbreaking.
“We want to thank you in advance for your caring thoughts. Our Love, Lauren & Tony.”
The Hollywood native’s health issues first surfaced in August 2021 when he was briefly hospitalized with pneumonia and had a “violent cough.”
“Tony’s spirit is positive,” Shulkind wrote on Facebook last year. “He gets his daily exercise by walking the corridors with his his nurse. If he could only get rid of that darn cough. It’s going to take some time.”
Tony Dow’s wife, Lauren Shulkind, prematurely told her husband’s management that he was dead Tuesday morning.FilmMagic
“For the most part, members of his medical ‘team’ are compassionate, and we appreciate their efforts,” she added. “As well, we appreciate all of you for your thoughts and concerns. Hopefully Tony will be home soon. Poppy can’t wait to get her daddy back.”
Mathers had previously been in contact with Dow and his management team and had frequently updated fans about Dow’s condition over social media.
Dow starred as Wally, the older brother of Beaver (Mathers), in “Leave It to Beaver” from 1957 to 1963 for six seasons.
He later reprised his role in the sitcom sequel, “The New Leave It to Beaver,” in 1983. The show aired for four seasons until 1989.
Dow went on to guest-star on shows like “My Three Sons,” “Dr. Kildare,” “Lassie” and “The Greatest Show on Earth,” before taking on a recurring role on “Mr. Novak.”
Dow starred in all 234 episodes of the sitcom from 1957 to 1963.Getty Images
He also got behind the camera, having directed episodes of TV shows like “Coach,” “Babylon 5” and “Harry and the Hendersons.”
In 1965, he took a break from acting to serve in the National Guard for three years. He even tried his hand at writing and entered journalism school in the 1970s.
Dow spoke to CBS This Morning earlier this year about his iconic role on “Leave It to Beaver” and how being a child star allowed him to not be independent.
“From the time I was 11 or 12, I was told what to do. I was told on the set. I was told at home. I didn’t have control of my life,” he said.
While the role of Wally defined it, he didn’t want to be in the public eye and he fame that came with it. “I was gonna have to live with it for the rest of my life,” Dow noted. “It’s sad to be famous at 12 years old or something, and then you grow up and become a real person, and nothing’s happening for you.”
In the 1980s, he took on roles in the projects “Knight Rider,” “Square Pegs” and “Murder, She Wrote.”
The ’90s saw the filmmaker take some time behind the camera. He did some directing work on episodes for series such as “Babylon 5” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.”
Tony Dow, known for his role as Wally Cleaver on “Leave It to Beaver,” is under hospice care in his “last hours,” his son tells Fox News Digital.
“This is a difficult time,” Christopher Dow said. “Yes, he is still alive, but in his last hours; under hospice care.”
Earlier Tuesday, Dow’s management team said that the actor had died in a Facebook post, but the social media post has since been taken down.
Tony Dow as Wally Cleaver in “Leave It to Beaver.” (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Dow’s wife, Lauren Shulkind, gave the “false information” to his management team, his son explained to Fox News Digital. Per TMZ, Dow’s wife is “very distraught” and “believed her husband was dead.” She then told Dow’s management team.
Christopher also shared an update to Facebook, writing: “This is a difficult time. Dad is at home, under hospice care, and in his last hours. My wife and I are by his side along with many friends that have visited. He has a fighting heart.”
Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow in “Leave It to Beaver.” (Abc/Kobal/Shutterstock)
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In May, Shulkind announced his cancer had returned — just a month after he celebrated his 77th birthday.
Dow starred alongside Hugh Beaumont, Jerry Mathers and Barbara Billingsley in the TV series “Leave It to Beaver.” (Getty Images)
Dow participated in multiple spin-offs of “Leave It to Beaver.” (Getty Images)
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“Dear friends and fans of Tony Dow, I have some very sad news to share with you,” Shulkind wrote at the time. “Unfortunately, Tony has once again been diagnosed with cancer. He is approaching this reality so bravely, but it is truly heartbreaking.
“We want to thank you in advance for your caring thoughts. Our Love, Lauren & Tony.”
Dow starred alongside Jerry Mathers, Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont and Ken Osmond in “Leave it to Beaver” during his childhood. The show originally ran for six seasons on CBS before switching to ABC.
The actor participated in the reunion show, “Still the Beaver,” and the show’s sequel series, “The New Leave It to Beaver.”
Tony Dow, known for his role as Wally Cleaver on “Leave It to Beaver,” is under hospice care in his “last hours,” his son tells Fox News Digital.
Dow’s wife announced his cancer had returned in May 2022. (Photo by Shutterstock)
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Dow was also known for his roles in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “Babylon 5.”
Lauryn Overhultz is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital.
Tony Dow, who became a star at 12 as Wally Cleaver, the barely teenage older brother on the popular 1950s and ’60s comedy series “Leave It to Beaver,” died on Tuesday. He was 77.
His death was announced by his representatives in a post on his Facebook page. It did not say where he had died. In May, Mr. Dow said he had been diagnosed with prostate and gall bladder cancer.
Mr. Dow went on to a varied adult career, finding mixed success as an actor, a director, a producer and later a sculptor, but he could never quite shake his association with “Leave It to Beaver,” a dose of early-life fame that may have contributed to his later struggles with depression.
The central character on the sitcom was the button-cute, trouble-prone Beaver Cleaver, played by Jerry Mathers, but whenever Beaver needed the benefit of counsel from someone older and wiser who was not likely to yell at him, he turned to Wally, his only sibling and most trusted confidant. They shared a bedroom — and an en suite bathroom — in an immaculately kept two-story house in Mayfield, a fictional, walkable, crime-free, apparently all-white American suburb.
Wally was a good student, polite to his elders and a responsible good guy “dripping with decency and honesty,” as Brian Levant, executive producer of the 1980s sequel series “The New Leave It to Beaver,” described him to The Arizona Republic in 2017. Wally played Chinese checkers with his brother in their room, sometimes went along with his friend Eddie Haskell’s misguided pranks and was young enough in the first season to ask, “Dad, if I saved up my allowance, could I buy a monkey?”
And he would never “squeal on” the Beav, unless he had to.
As the seasons passed, Wally matured, capturing the attention of adolescent female viewers, but his attitude toward his brother remained largely unchanged. “What did you go and do that for?” he’d ask. And, “Will you stop being nice to me and just go back to being a little creep?”
But when he was talking to his parents, Wally was more thoughtful. As he observed at the end of one episode, “For a little kid like that, a lot of stuff sure goes on in his head.”
Anthony Lee Dow was born in Hollywood on April 13, 1945, the son of John Stevens Dow, a designer and contractor, and Muriel Virginia (Montrose) Dow. His mother was a stuntwoman in westerns and had been the movie double for the silent screen star Clara Bow.
Tony was an athletic boy who won swimming and diving competitions. In fact, it was a coach who suggested that Tony accompany him to an acting audition, the boy’s first. He had virtually no acting experience when he was cast as Wally Cleaver in “Leave It to Beaver.”
“I was always a little rebellious,” the website The Outsider quoted him as saying in 2021, and success had come so easily. His face was soon on the cover of magazines aimed at teenage readers. After six years, as the fictional Wally was preparing to go to college, Mr. Dow was ready to move on to something new.
He appeared as a guest star on series like “Dr. Kildare” (1963), “My Three Sons” (1964), “Lassie” (1968), “The Mod Squad” (1971), “Love, American Style” (1971) and “Emergency” (1972). He was a regular on “Never Too Young” (1965-66), a soap aimed at teenage audiences. But he soon realized he had been hopelessly typecast as his “Leave It to Beaver” character.
In his 20s, he began to suffer from clinical depression, which he described as a “self-absorbing feeling of worthlessness, of hopelessness.” Helped by psychotherapy and medication, he became a spokesman for the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association.
“I realize there’s a perceived irony about this,” Mr. Dow told The Chicago Tribune in 1993, acknowledging that his name and face were associated with one of the sunniest series in broadcast history. But fame was part of the problem.
“If you have anonymity, you can sit in the corner and pout and nobody cares,” he said. “But if you’re a celebrity, pouting is frowned upon.”
Twenty years after “Leave It to Beaver” went off the air, it returned — in the form of a CBS television movie, “Still the Beaver” (1983). It reunited the cast, with the exception of Mr. Beaumont, who had died in 1982 at 72. Wally was by then a lawyer who had married a high school sweetheart. Beaver was going through a messy divorce.
The film became a Disney Channel series for one season and returned on TBS as “The New Leave It to Beaver” from 1986 to 1989. The series offered monsters in the closet; mishaps with borrowed cars, bicycles, comic books, football tickets and prom dates; and a seemingly unending supply of flashbacks (clips from the original series).
In the ’90s, Mr. Dow turned to directing, hired for episodes of shows like “Coach,” “Harry and the Hendersons,” “Babylon 5” and, of course, his own “The New Leave It to Beaver.” He directed a television movie, “Child Stars: Their Stories” (2000), and produced two others, “The Adventures of Captain Zoom From Outer Space” (1995) and “It Came From Outer Space II” (1996).
When he appeared on camera in movies or television later on, it was often with a healthy dose of amused self-awareness. In David Spade’s comedy “Dickie Roberts, Former Child Star,” Mr. Dow sang in the front row of a glee club of former child stars. His last screen role was on a 2016 episode of the anthology series “Suspense.”
Along the way, he also had a contracting business and did visual effects for film. But he found his passion when, in his 50s, he began doing sculpture, working primarily in burl wood and bronze. In 2008, his sculpture “Unarmed Warrior” was shown in Paris at the Salon de la Societé Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Carrousel du Louvre.
He was with his first wife, Carol Marlow, from 1969 until their 1980 divorce. He married Lauren Shulkind, a ceramic artist, in 1980. Information on his survivors was not immediately available.
Mr. Dow said in the end that he was no longer troubled by the outcome of his early success. “I felt that way probably from the time I was 20 until I was maybe 40,” he said in a 2022 interview on “CBS Sunday Morning.” “At 40, I realized how great the show was.”
An incredible timelapse video from Los Angeles captures the Beaver Moon during its dramatic partial eclipse Friday (Nov. 19).
Taken from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, the video shows the moon gradually growing darker and then at its peak (which appears to be through haze), turning a slight red.
The Beaver Moon lunar eclipse saw the moon 97% covered by Earth’s shadow at its peak at 4:02 am EST (9:02 GMT), and was potentially visible to millions of stargazers across North America, Central and South America, as well as parts of Australia, Europe and Asia.
Video: Watch the entire Beaver Moon lunar eclipse in 1 minute time-lapse Related: Beaver Moon lunar eclipse 2021: Amazing photos of the longest partial moon eclipse in 580 years
This diagram shows the stages of the partial lunar eclipse on Nov. 18-19, 2021. (Image credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio)
Even though it wasn’t a true “blood moon,” or total eclipse, the moon was deep enough in the Earth’s darker shadow (the umbra) and turned red due to the refraction of light in our planet’s atmosphere.
But as you can see in the video, the red only was visible for part of the event. The full moon first entered Earth’s penumbral (its outer, fainter shadow) at 1:02 am EST (6:02 GMT), and the umbral phase began about an hour and fifteen minutes later, when the moon started to noticeably darken at its southern limb.
If you’re looking to photograph the moon or prepare for the next lunar eclipse, consider our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography. You can also check out our guide on how to photograph a lunar eclipse, as well as how to photograph the moon with a camera.
The next eclipse of the moon will be a total lunar eclipse on May 16, 2022. It will be best visible from South America and the U.S. and Canadian northeast.
Editor’s Note: If you snap an amazing night sky picture and would like to share it with Space.com’s readers, send your photos, comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
You can watch an ultra-long lunar eclipse online in the wee hours of Friday (Nov. 19) from one of several websites.
The so-called Beaver Moon lunar eclipse will start at 1:02 a.m. EST (0602 GMT), and the moon will be 97% covered by Earth’s shadow at its peak. The eclipse will end at 6:03 a.m. EST (1203 GMT).
While the event will be visible from North and South America, Australia, and parts of Europe and Asia, you can also catch it online if you are clouded out. If you do have good weather, our guide on how to photograph a lunar eclipse, as well as how to photograph the moon with a camera in general, can help you make the most of the event. If you need imaging gear, check out our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography to help prepare for the next eclipse.
Here are the broadcasts we know of so far:
Beaver Moon Lunar Eclipse from Griffith Observatory
The Griffith Observatory in Los Angeleswill feature a timelapse video of the eclipse, weather permitting, on its YouTube page. The timelapse will start at 9 a.m. EST (1400 GMT/6 a.m. PST), with an online broadcast beginning before that on Friday, Nov. 19 at 1 a.m. EST(0600 GMT/ 10 p.m. PST on Nov. 18).
The park will not be open during the eclipse due to the pandemic, the observatory said in a statement.
Beaver Moon Lunar Eclipse from Time and Date
Time and Date will start its livestream on YouTube at 1 a.m. EDT (0600 GMT) on YouTube.
“Our live coverage is your perfect companion to this eclipse, whether it’s visible from your location or not,” TimeandDate said in the video description. “Follow the eclipse from start to finish with us right here.”
The Virtual Telescope Project will broadcast live from Rome starting at 2 a.m. EDT (0700 GMT).
“As in the past, the Virtual Telescope Project will partner with some great astro-imagers from all around the planet to bring to you the stunning beauty of such a precious event,” the organization said on the event page.
Astronomical Society of South Australia
The Astronomical Society of South Australiawill have broadcasts on YouTube or Facebook starting at 4:30 a.m. EST (0930 GMT or 7 p.m. local time).
“Our network of imaging telescopes located in South Australia, Victoria and Queensland, and further away if necessary, will provide the best opportunity to view this special celestial event regardless of local weather conditions,” the society stated on its event page.
If we learn of more webcasts for the Beaver Moon lunar eclipse, we’ll add them here. Happy eclipse viewing!
Editor’s Note: If you snap an amazing night sky picture and would like to share it with Space.com’s readers, send your photos, comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
