Watchers of the night sky will be pleased tonight as they will be able to view a total lunar eclipse.

Overnight tonight and into the early morning hours tomorrow, the moon will temporarily take on a reddish glow due to the eclipse. A lunar eclipse takes place when the moon crosses into the Earth’s shadow, meaning that the planet will align between the moon and the sun. A total eclipse occurs when the heavenly bodies align perfectly as they are predicted to do tonight. While those of us here in the middle of the country won’t see the entire total eclipse, we will see most of it, but you will have to get up early to do so.

The eclipse will be visible from about 4am until about 7am, with the totality happening around 5:30 tomorrow morning. Since this is a lunar eclipse, no special viewing devices are required, but we will have to hope for a clear sky.