Skywatchers set for lunar eclipse
The Moon could turn pink or blood red during the eclipse
Skywatchers around the world are gearing up to observe a rare total lunar eclipse.
The best viewing conditions for the eclipse are from North and Central America, parts of northern Europe and East Asia.
Astronomers say the Moon could turn a pink or blood red hue during the eclipse, which begins early on Tuesday morning GMT.
It will be the first total lunar eclipse in three years.
The Moon is normally illuminated by the Sun. During a total lunar eclipse, the full Moon passes through the shadow created by the Earth blocking the Sun's light.
Some indirect sunlight will still manage to pierce through and give the Moon a ghostly colour.
The west coast of America will see the eclipse start on Monday night; observers in North and Central America will be able to view the whole event.
Total eclipse begins at 0741 GMT on Tuesday (0241 EST on Tuesday; 11:41 PST on Monday).
Western Europe will only see the start of the spectacle while western Asia will catch the tail end.
The totality phase - when the moon is entirely inside Earth's shadow - will last a little over an hour.
"It's perfectly placed so that all of North America can see it," said eclipse expert Fred Espenak of Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center.
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Commentary
This coincides with the 14th-15th of Muharram for Muslims that are commemorating their sad occasion of Karbala.
Quite an eerie reminder of the sad tale, when the moon is colored blood red.
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