On the morning of March 3rd, the Moon will glide into Earth's shadow and create a total lunar eclipse. Unfortunately that happens in the wee hours of the night: The eclipse starts at 1:50 a.m. Pacific time and totality runs from 3:04 to 4:03 a.m. Due to the inconvenient time, the EAS won't be hosting an eclipse party, but we urge you to enjoy at least part of the eclipse from the comfort of your own home. The Moon will be 33 degrees high in the west-southwest at mid-eclipse (3:34 a.m.), so it should be visible from just about anywhere with a western view.

Lunar eclipses are naked-eye events. You don't need a telescope to enjoy it. Binoculars will enhance the view, but the main excitement of the event is simply watching the Moon slip into the Earth's shadow and back out again. While it's in the shadow, it turns a coppery red, lit up by a ring of sunsets and sunrises around the edge of the Earth as seen from the perspective of the Moon.

Unlike solar eclipses, it's perfectly safe to watch a total lunar eclipse without eye protection. You're looking at a big sunlit rock, nothing more. And then the sunlight slips away...

If you can only stay awake for a few minutes, we recommend watching from about 2:50 to 3:10, catching the moment when the last sliver of bright Moon slips into the shadow and totality begins.

If you can watch more of the event, notice how the curvature of the eclipse line differs from the normal "terminator," the shadow line that separates the bright and dark parts of the Moon during the various lunar phases. The terminator always runs from pole to pole of the Moon and changes its shape depending on the lunar phase, but the eclipse shadow sweeps across it, always the same radius arc. For those of us used to seeing the Moon's normal phases, it looks strange and mysterious.

This will be the last total lunar eclipse visible from North America until 2029, so set your alarms and make an effort to see this one!