A total lunar eclipse is coming to the Boston area Tuesday morning. Here's why this blood moon is so rare.

A total lunar eclipse will be visible in Massachusetts before sunrise Tuesday morning and this one will be extra special.

It will last just about an hour. During that time, we'll also get a blood moon, where the moon turns a reddish-brown color.

This total eclipse of the moon will happen simultaneously with the rising sun in a rare event called a "selenelion."

What time is the eclipse in Boston?

You can see the eclipse in totality in the Boston area from 6:04 a.m. to 7:02 a.m. Tuesday. However, the partial lunar eclipse begins at 4:50 a.m. if you're up that early.

If you see the eclipse on the East Coast, you'll also get a brief glimpse at the selenelion. It's a rare astronomical event because both the totally eclipsed moon and the sunrise are visible on the horizon at the same time.

Sunrise in Boston on Tuesday is at 6:16 a.m. The moonset is at 6:17 a.m. So for roughly just a couple of minutes, we'll have the sun rising in the east horizon at exactly the same time the total lunar eclipse moon is setting in the west.

The full moon for the month is, of course, on the same day as our total eclipse. In March, it's called the "worm moon," apparently named for the thawing ground and emergence of earthworms.

So, if you're keeping track, we'll have a totally eclipsed full moon, blood moon, worm moon and a selenelion early Tuesday morning.

How to see the selenelion

It's a good idea to go up as high as you can with an unobstructed view. Try somewhere with a view of both the east and west horizons. 

You don't need any special glasses or equipment for this like we did with the solar eclipse back in 2024. Just take a look up in the sky right after 6 a.m. Don't forget the blood moon is visible for nearly an hour outside of this, though.

Weather forecast for the eclipse

Fingers are crossed that we get the clearest skies possible early Tuesday morning. 

In Massachusetts, it's looking better the farther east you are. Closer to the coastline and southern New Hampshire are the clearest by 6 a.m. Light pollution shouldn't be a major issue for viewing if you're close to the city.

Cloud cover is the biggest obstacle in the way of the view. It will, however, be very cold during the viewing. Prepare for wind chills in the single digits.

How rare are lunar eclipses?

There can be about two-to-five lunar eclipses each year, if you include partial eclipses. But a total lunar eclipse is much less common, only about twice every few years. Tuesday is one of them. Add that in with the selenelion, and you can see why this is a pretty cool event, specifically on the East Coast.

Of course, our total solar eclipse almost two years ago in April 2024 is even less common. The next total solar eclipse visible in the United States isn't until 2033 - and that's only for Alaska. For the rest of the United States, we'll wait even longer. It will be 2045 before that happens for us again.

Send us your eclipse pictures

If you take any pictures of the total lunar eclipse, send them our way - on X (formerly known as Twitter) @WBZweather and through our WBZ Weather Watchers Network.

The next total lunar eclipse visible in the United States will be on June 26, 2029.