The Earth’s shadow will begin to blot out the moon at 1:32 am EST (10:32 pm PST). During totality, when the Earth is directly between the moon and the sun, the moon will turn a rusty orange-red for 72 minutes from 2:41 am to 3:53 am EST (11:41 pm to 12:53 am PST).

Sky watchers in Europe, West Africa, and South America will see only part of the eclipse before it is interrupted by sunrise (see chart below). This is also the last time a total lunar eclipse will be visible from North America until April 2014.

The Earth’s shadow appears nearly black against the moon until totality, when sunlight filtering through Earth’s atmosphere casts a ruddy glow. An observer standing on the moon and looking back toward Earth would see a ring of red light circling the Earth, marking all the sunrises and sunsets all over the planet.

The curved edge of the Earth’s shadow as it sweeps across the moon during partial eclipse was one of the first hints to ancient astronomers that the Earth is round.

If you only want a quick glimpse of the eclipse (standing outside for four hours in December takes serious dedication), bundle up and look skywards at 3:17 am EST (12:17 am PST), when the moon will be in deepest shadow and displaying its best coppery red hue.

If you happen to catch any pictures of the eclipse, send them to me for a reader photo gallery.

Image: 1) Flickr/atomicshark. 2) F. Espenak, NASA/GSFC.

See Also:

• Longest Eclipse Ever: Airplane Chases the Moon’s Shadow
• Video: Solar Eclipse Seen From Space
• Lunar Eclipse Image Gallery: Flickr’s Best
• Total Eclipse of the Moon: Your Photos
• Lunar Eclipse Prompts Climate Change Debate

Follow us on Twitter @astrolisa and @wiredscience, and on Facebook.

Authors: Lisa Grossman

to know more click here