Saturday Morning: Watch the Total Lunar Eclipse

A total lunar eclipse will begin in the pre-dawn hours Saturday, and if you have a chance to see it, you should — the next one won't happen until 2014.

Sky watchers at Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland will be observing as the Earth’s shadow creeps onto the surface of the full moon, starting at 3:33 a.m. Totality lasts from 6:06 a.m. until 6:57 a.m. The moon will set below the western horizon soon after 7:00 a.m., shortly before the sun rises.

During a total lunar eclipse, the moon turns a shade of copper-red, due to sunlight bending around the edges of the Earth. A total lunar eclipse is safe to look at directly with your naked eye — no special equipment is needed. 

Public viewing of the eclipse is encouraged, weather permitting.

Astronomers will be on hand to share information about eclipses and facts about the moon. 

Chabot Space & Science Center’s Observatory Deck will be open to the public, free of charge, from 4 to 7 a.m. The center will not be open to the public; guests should enter the back of the building near the telescope domes and the observatory deck.

The next partial eclipse of the moon will come June of 2012. The next total lunar eclipse occurs on the night of April 14-15 of 2014, which will be visible across most of North and South America.

For more information, go to the center's website.