WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A lunar eclipse on Thursday night and Friday morning will paint the moon red, astronomers say.
The eclipse, the first in two years, will be visible from all of North America and western Europe.
Astronomers at the U.S. space agency NASA say the same processes that make a sunset red will make the face of the moon look reddish-orange during the eclipse.
"A total lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth, and moon form a straight line in space and the moon passes through the Earth's shadow,'' Sky and Telescope magazine said in a statement.
"This can happen only on a night when the moon is full, as it is on January 20/21.''
The Earth's shadow will totally cover the moon from 11:05 p.m. EST on Thursday to 12:22 A.M. EST on Friday.
Sky and Telescope said the first edge of the moon would start to be shaded at 9.30 p.m. EST and the last vestige of the eclipse would be seen at 1:55 a.m. EST.
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