US to witness total lunar eclipse on April 15 before dawn

A total lunar eclipse will grace the skies across the United States several hours before dawn on Tuesday, April 15, it has revealed.

According to the editors of StarDate magazine, the eclipse will begin at 12:58 a.m. Central Daylight Time, when the Moon begins to move into Earth's shadow.

As Earth's long shadow falls across the Moon, the part in the shadow will turn dark. It will look as though a chunk were missing from the Moon, which will grow larger as minutes pass.

Just over an hour later, at 2:02 a.m., the Moon will be fully eclipsed-the entire disk shrouded in red. Totality will last one hour and 18 minutes.

The Moon will begin to emerge from Earth's shadow at 3:25 a.m., and will have moved out completely by 4:33 a.m.

The Moon moves from the south to the southwest as the eclipse progresses. Bright orange Mars will shine to its upper right.

The entire event will last just over three and a half hours, and will be visible (weather permitting) for most of the United States, except New England and Alaska.

The Moon will rise with the partial eclipse in progress as seen from Alaska. From New England, the Moon will set before the eclipse ends.