Night owls and early risers in North and South America will be able to watch a rare celestial show on Tuesday as Earth's shadow falls across the moon, shifting its colour from bright orange to deep red.
The “Blood Moon” will be visible in the skies above North America around 2am Eastern time.
The full lunar eclipse will unfold over three hours when the moon begins moving into Earth's shadow. A little more than an hour later, the moon will be fully eclipsed and shrouded in a red glow.
The celestial show will be over by 5:33am, according to astronomers at the University of Texas's McDonald Observatory.
Eclipses occur two or three times per year when the sun, Earth and the full moon line up so that the moon passes through Earth's shadow.
Tuesday's eclipse will be the last full lunar eclipse visible from the United States until 2019, according to NASA.
Weather permitting, the eclipse will be visible from most of the country, with the exception of New England and Alaska.
Alaskans can get a view of the moon rising already partly eclipsed. From New England, the moon sets before the eclipse ends.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
Date created : 2014-04-15