Marco Ugarte / AP file

The moon is seen taking different orange tones during a lunar eclipse over Mexico City on Aug. 28, 2007.

By : Joe Rao,  skywatching columnist

Mark Wednesday, Feb. 20, on your calendar as “Lunar Eclipse Night,” for if the weather is fair you should have no difficulty observing a total eclipse of the moon.

The eclipse will be visible wherever the moon is above the horizon during the time frame that the eclipse is taking place. As it turns out, North and South America will be turned toward the moon and will be in excellent position for this sky show.

Europe, Africa and a part of western Asia will also be able to see the eclipse, although for these regions the event will take place in the hours just before sunrise on the morning of Feb. 21.

All told, given clear skies, about three billion potential eclipse viewers will be able to partake in the spectacle of the full moon becoming completely immersed in the Earth’s shadow.

This will be the third total lunar eclipse within the past year. The previous two favored different parts of North America, but this one will be readily visible from start-to-finish across much of the continent, weather permitting.

The total phase will last 51 minutes and begins at 10:01 p.m. ET.

Because some of the sunlight striking the Earth is diffused and scattered by our atmosphere, the Earth’s shadow is not completely dark. Typically there are coppery red and orange hues cast over the moon at and near totality from sunlight refracted from our atmosphere around the edge of the Earth, giving the moon the appearance of an eerie glowing ball. 

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This year’s astronomical calendar features not just one, but two pairings of the sky’s brightest planets - plus a total solar eclipse visible from exotic locations, and a total lunar eclipse that most Americans will be able to see from their backyards.There’s also a good selection of star cluster occultations, and a promising opportunity to catch August’s annual Perseid meteor shower.

Here are some of the more noteworthy sky events of the year. Space.com’s Night Sky column will provide more extensive coverage of each event as it draws closer.

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