Look to the skies tonight and you won’t see Santa’s sleigh, but in parts of North, Central, and South America you will see a total lunar eclipse.
Normally, the moon is illuminated by the sun, but tonight, the moon will pass through the shadow created by the Earth that blocks the sun’s light. What indirect sunlight that manages to pass through will give the moon an orange-yellow glow.
The eclipse coincides with the winter solstice which means the moon will be high in the sky and perfect for viewing. On the West Coast, US residents can expect to see the eclipse Monday night beginning at 11:41pm, while East Coast residents will see it in the early morning hours (ideal time is 2:41am EST Tuesday).
NASA will be streaming the eclipse live from its Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
If you miss this one, you can catch a full lunar eclipse in June and December 2011.
