The moon, the Earth and sun are set to line up tonight for the only total lunar eclipse this year and next. The phenomenon will witness a total lunar eclipse and supermoon, all wrapped into one. At the same time, the moon will be very close to the Earth and will appear slightly bigger and brighter than usual — a supermoon.
During totality, the moon will look red because of sunlight scattering off Earth's atmosphere. That's why an eclipsed moon is sometimes known as a blood moon.
"This one is particularly good," said Rice University astrophysicist Patrick Hartigan, adding "It not only is a supermoon and it's a total eclipse, but the total eclipse also lasts pretty long. It's about an hour."
Taking nearly three hours, the whole eclipse starts Sunday night or early Monday, depending on location.
It begins with the partial phase around 10:34 pm EST Sunday. That's when Earth's shadow will begin to nip at the moon. Totality — when Earth's shadow completely blankets the moon — will last 62 minutes, beginning at 11:41 p.m. EST Sunday.
If the skies are clear, the entire eclipse will be visible in North and South America, as well as Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Portugal and the French and Spanish coasts.
The rest of Europe, as well as Africa, will have partial viewing before the moon sets.
Some places, including the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles will be live streaming the phenomenon.
In January, the full moon is also sometimes known as the wolf moon or great spirit moon.
So informally speaking, the upcoming lunar eclipse will be a super blood wolf — or great spirit — moon.
In the US, the eclipse will begin relatively early Sunday evening, making it easier for children to stay up and enjoy the show.
Plus, the next day is a federal holiday, with most schools closed. But the weather forecast for much of the US doesn't look good.
