A full moon rises over New York, Aug. 27, 2007. A total lunar eclipse will be visible Tuesday throughout the Western Hemisphere and parts of Asia. (Xinhua Photo/Reuters)

    BEIJING, Aug. 28 -- Look skywards tonight and you should be able to see a rare lunar eclipse, according to the Shanghai Observatory.

    If you can't manage to crane your neck or get outside, the observatory will webcast the phenomenon live at www.astron.sh.cn from 6 p.m.

    Eastern Asia, Australia and North and South America are ideally placed to view tonight's lunar eclipse. Most of China will be able to see it except the very west of the country, according to China's Purple Mountain Observatory.

    An eclipse happens when the earth passes between the sun and the moon.

    For Chinese watchers the first phase of the eclipse, which will last about three hours and 33 minutes, will begin at 4:51 p.m. Beijing time.

    The eclipse will begin as the Earth's shadow moves across the surface of the moon's eastern edge. It will take just over an hour for the earth's shadow to cover the moon. By 6:37 p.m. the moon will be completely hidden in the shadow and will begin emerging again at 7:23 p.m.

    Many astronomers are predicting that during the eclipse, the moon could turn a vivid red color. The color will depend on the amount of dust in the earth's atmosphere.

    NASA said on its website that total eclipses tend to be dark affairs with the light being blocked by volcanic dust and gas. Because there have been no major volcanic eruptions recently, though, the conditions are ripe for a colorful display tonight.

    The eclipse will end at 8:24 p.m. and the next one is not due until June 16, 2011.

    (Source: Shanghai Daily)