Week of April 6-12, 2014

Early on the evening of Monday, April 14, watch as the sun sets behind the western horizon; then face the opposite direction and you'll soon spot the moon rising above the eastern horizon.

As it rises, our nearest celestial neighbor will offer no clue about what it will experience during the next few hours; but keep watch, because something fascinating is about to happen: a total lunar eclipse visible to much of the Western Hemisphere.

The celestial cover-up begins at 9:54 p.m. PDT (12:54 a.m. EDT) when the moon officially begins its journey into the thin, outer shadow of the Earth (the penumbra), but this portion of the eclipse won't be noticeable.

Not for another half hour or so will even the sharpest of observers notice the slight darkening of the moon's eastern side. Then, around 10:58 p.m. PDT (1:58 a.m. EDT), the moon's eastern edge will enter the Earth's dark inner shadow (the umbra).

For the next hour or so, the moon will dim as it enters deeper into our planet's shadow until 12:07 a.m. PDT (3:07 a.m. EDT) when the moon becomes totally eclipsed.

During totality, the moon may take on strange coppery hue and — for viewers under a clear, dark sky — will appear to hang eerily among the brilliant stars of springtime. This coppery color occurs because sunlight passing through our atmosphere is reddened and bent inward toward the darkened surface of the totally eclipsed moon. Just how red and bright it appears depends on how clear our planet's atmosphere is at the time sunlight is passing through it; totality can range from a bright orange to practically invisible.

Totality continues until 1:24 a.m. PDT (4:24 a.m. EDT), when the eastern edge of the moon emerges into bright sunlight once again. Now, the umbral shadow continues to retreat westward across the moon's face, leaving it completely at 2:33 a.m. PDT (5:33 a.m. EDT).

Unlike an eclipse of the sun, a lunar eclipse is perfectly safe to view without protective filters. All you need is your eyes, but if you have binoculars or a small telescope, you may find viewing through them to be even more enjoyable.

You'll be able to watch the sky show even from under bright city lights but, for a truly special display for eye and camera, venture out to the wilderness where you've got a clear view of the heavens. Here, during totality, you'll see the ruddy orb of the moon suspended not from the bright star Spica in the constellation Virgo.

Because the moon's orbit is tipped about five degrees to the Earth-sun plane, the moon only rarely passes through our planet's shadow. That's why we don't experience a lunar eclipse during every full moon — or a solar eclipse every new moon, for that matter. But if clouds should block our view of this total lunar eclipse, we won't have to wait long for another; the next will occur only six months from now.

To discover if anyone in your area might be hosting a free lunar-eclipse viewing party, check with your local planetarium, college or amateur astronomy club. And to learn more about lunar eclipses, visit www.mreclipse.com/MrEclipse.html#Moon.

Visit Dennis Mammana at www.dennismammana.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.