The rare eclipse takes place on Wednesday, January 31, combining three lunar phenomena: a supermoon, a blue moon and a blood moon.
Viewers in British Columbia can expect to see a blue moon – the second full moon in a calendar month – orbiting closer to the Earth than usual, making it seem up to 14 percent larger in the sky starting from 3.48am local time.
Live footage from Cracroft Point in British Columbia will allow viewers to catch a the spectacular show of a full lunar eclipse.
Meteorologist Simon King said: “We’ve got something really cool happening tonight, and it’s a Moon trilogy.
“ The moon orbits the earth, in an ellipse, so sometimes the moon is close to the earth than other times and we call that the Perigee, and that’s going to happen through Wednesday night.
“So the Moon might appear a bit bigger and brighter than usual. The ‘blue’ part of that saying is that every month we have a full moon, but on some occasions, because of the lunar cycle we have two full Moons. So we call that second one a blue moon, here the phrase, ‘once in a blue moon’ because it’s quite a rare occurrence.
“And then the third thing is the ‘blood moon’. And that is because also on Wednesday night there is a total lunar eclipse, and that is going to make the Moon turn a little bit red.”
NASA has confirmed the moon will orbit 223,068 miles from Earth, rather than the usual 238,855 miles, making it appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter in the night sky.
But the star of the show looks set to be a stunning total lunar eclipse – often described as a blood moon because of the way the moon turns a bright coppery red.
The display will be at least partially visible across the US. Here is a breakdown of when different cities can expect to see the eclipse.
Unfortunately, the moon won’t move into the Earth’s umbra until near sunrise along the US’s east coast, making it more difficult to get a good view of the eclipse.
The eclipse will be best viewed from 7.51am in Washington DC, though it will not be the total eclipse seen elsewhere in the US.
On Wednesday, the moon will be 223,068 miles from Earth, rather than the usual 238,855 miles, making it appear 14 percent larger.
Unfortunately, the moon won’t move into the Earth’s umbra until near sunrise along the US’s east coast, making it more difficult to get a good view of the eclipse.
The Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles will also host a live stream of the eclipse today with the help of telescopes stationed in the US and Australia. You can watch it here between 6.30am EST (11.30am GMT) and 11am EST (4pm GMT).
The Italy-based Virtual Telescope Project will stream live the eclipse from Rome as well starting at 9am EST (4pm GMT). Watch it online here.
Below is a breakdown of what time totality occurs in various major cities across the United States (All local times):
Washington DC – 7.51am to 9.07am
New York City – 7.51am to 9.07am
Chicago – 6.51am to 8.07am
Kansas City – 6.51am to 8.07am
Denver – 5.51am – 7.07am
Phoenix – 5.51am – 7.07am
Los Angeles – 4.51am to 6.07am
Seattle – 4.51am to 6.07am