Don’t be surprised when the moon is a reddish-orange if you look up to the sky on Tuesday, March 3, from 12:44 a.m. to 6:23 a.m. The Earth’s shadow will cover the moon; this is a total lunar eclipse.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the Earth’s umbra, which  blocks all direct sunlight, which is why the moon will appear red, according to timeanddate. Total lunar eclipses are a rare celestial event that occurs once every two to three years, accounting for 28.8% of all lunar eclipses compared to partial lunar eclipses, which make up 34.9% and occur at least twice a year, according to Star Walk.

The total lunar eclipse on Tuesday will be visible to North America, Australia, New Zealand, Eastern Asia, and the Pacific Islands, according to NASA. This means that the entire state of California will be able to witness this event, and unlike solar eclipses, they are completely safe to view with the naked eye – binoculars and telescopes are recommended  to see more of the lunar features.

For the specific times of the eclipse in Chico, it will start with the Penumbral Eclipse at 12:44 a.m.,  when the moon begins to be covered by Earth’s outer shadow. This phase is the easiest to miss and becomes truly noticeable only at the end. 

At 1:50 a.m., is when the partial eclipse begins, which is when the umbral shadow will first appear black for the first half an hour before turning brown and then a deep red. Before this phase ends, the Earth’s shadow covers the last of the moon’s crescent. 

At 3:04 a.m., the total eclipse will begin, with its greatest eclipse occurring at 3:34 a.m., where the moon will entirely sink into Earth’s shadow and mark the blood moon. Part of the eclipse is predicted to last 58 minutes, with the total eclipse ending at 4:03 a.m. and the partial eclipse ending at 5:17 a.m. The penumbral eclipse ends at 6:17 a.m., according to Space.com.

Though the total eclipse only lasts for predictably 58 minutes, the total duration for Chico will be three hours, twenty-seven minutes, and eight seconds, according to Space.com.

California will have a good view of the eclipse because the moon will be high in the sky for its totality, compared to the East Coast, where the moon may be low or setting at the time of the eclipse. Cloud coverage in Sacramento is predicted to be 65%, so with Chico being 90 miles away, it will be around the same, according to timeanddate.  

For the best viewing, it is important to go somewhere where the sky is dark and undisrupted by any excess street lighting. There is also expected to be clear skies in Northern California during the eclipse from Redding to Red Bluff, with clouds beginning to roll in towards the end of the eclipse, according to Record Searchlight. Mount Shasta is also expected to have clear skies, so skywatchers can travel out to one of its peaks to witness the event. 

If you’re interested in astronomy, it’s important to check out the eclipse if you can. There will also be a livestream of it you can watch online, with a broadcast from Griffith Observatory from 12:37 a.m. to 6:25 a.m., if you’re only just awake enough to set up your laptop or phone.

Lucy Bakowski can be reached at [email protected]