NavList:

Want to help out your friends tonight? Tell them to ignore any talk of a lunar eclipse. There is a very shallow penumbral lunar eclipse tonight. Even deep penumbral lunar eclipses are subtle things. Tonight's eclipse is simply a non-event. Experienced, diligent observers will convince themselves that they can just barely see it, and astrophotography will detect this very slight darkening. But normal moongazing? Not a chance.

If you want to engage in a related nautical topic, you could mention that the combined tidal driving force from the Sun and Moon reach their peak tonight. The maximum tidal range, or "Spring Tides", will follow typically in a day or three. See if you can find a way to explain that delay. Good luck! :)

Frank Reed