Total lunar eclipse will be visible over Denver metro area very early Tuesday morning

Early risers on Tuesday morning will be in for a rare celestial event over the Colorado skies. As long as our expected Tuesday storm clouds can hold off, skywatchers will be able to get a glimpse of a total lunar eclipse known as a "Blood Moon".

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow across the lunar surface. The sunlight will shine through and is filtered by the Earth's atmosphere, creating a red to copper colored hue over the moon for at least one hour over the Colorado Sky. The Full Moon in March is also known as the "worm" moon. The month when earthworms start to appear.

Totality over the Denver Metro area and Front Range will occur at 4:33 am Tuesday, March 3, but the eclipse will begin to visibly develop as early as 2:50 am.

Here are the viewing times for the Denver metro area for Tuesday morning:

• Penumbral begins (P1): 01:44 a.m. MST
• Partial begins (U1): 02:50 a.m. MST
• Totality begins (U2): 04:04 a.m. MST
• Greatest eclipse: 04:33 a.m. MST
• Totality ends (U3): 05:02 a.m. MST
• Partial ends (U4): 06:17 a.m. MST
• Penumbral ends (P4): 07:22 a.m. MST

The next total lunar eclipse will not happen again for two years, on New Year's Eve 2028!