By: Drew Switzer

Tonight, a Total Lunar Eclipse will be visible from Kansas for the first time since 2008.  A Total Lunar Eclipse happens when a full moon goes completely into the shadow of the Earth.  Basically, the Earth, in it's orbit around the sun, gets directly between the sun and the moon and blocks the sunlight to the moon that normally gives the moon a bright white glow.  Tonight, as the moon goes into the shadow of the moon it will take on a colorful orangeish and redish hue. 

The Total Lunar Eclipse will happen between 1:00 and 3:00 early Tuesday morning, with the peak being around 2:15AM.  The only problem is that clouds are in the forecast tonight so it may make the eclipse difficult to see.  Hopefully we see some breaks in the clouds between 1 and 3 o'clock because our next chance to see a Lunar Eclipse from here in Kansas won't be until 2014.

Another neat note about the Lunar Eclipse Tonight.  It is happening on the Winter Solstice.  The last time a Total Lunar Eclipse happened on the Winter Solstice was nearly 500 years ago, in 1554.  So this truly is a once in a lifetime astronomical event. 

Hopefully the clouds will part.

Have you ever seen a lunar eclipse?

Did you see this one or was it too cloudy?

Comment below!