Sky watchers on the West Coast and in the middle of the U.S. will have the best chance at catching the total lunar eclipse if they are early risers. Residents in Australia and Asia will get a “really good view” as well, Petro said. But people on the East Coast will have a less impressive view, since the lunar eclipse’s totality will occur as the sun is rising and moon is setting, Petro said.
Overall, totality will last for about 1 hour and 16 minutes. Petro said it starts on the West Coast, including Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area, at about 4:51 a.m. PT and lasts until about 6:07 a.m. PT on Jan. 31. On the East Coast, including New York City, Boston and Washington D.C., the moon will be completely eclipsed starting at 7:51 a.m. ET.
People willing to get up early, Petro said, will likely be rewarded for their efforts. “I hope the people who have the chance to see this eclipse really take it,” he said. “Go out and look at the night sky.”
The lunar eclipse will be visible in other places besides the coasts. Residents in Mountain Time cities like Denver will get a decent look at the event starting at 5:51 a.m. The eclipse can also be seen above the U.S. border in Canada, where totality will begin in Toronto at the same time as American Eastern Time cities like New York. And the spectacle is not just limited to the Western Hemisphere. Most of India, for example, will see the phenomenon in totality between 5:18 p.m. and 6:21 p.m. local time.

There’s more on supermoon eclipses and other natural occurring wonders in TIME’s Special Edition, Beautiful Phenomena, available now at the Time Inc. Shop and on Amazon.
Why does the moon turn red?
Despite the Earth fully covering the sun from the point of view of the moon, some light manages to pass through the planet’s atmosphere because it’s refracted by the Earth’s shadow, according to NASA. This light appears red due to a phenomenon known as rayleigh scattering.
“During a total lunar eclipse, white sunlight hitting the atmosphere on the sides of the Earth gets absorbed and then radiated out (scattered),” officials on NASA’s website wrote. “Blue-colored light is most affected. That is, the atmosphere filters out (scatters away) most of the blue-colored light. What’s left over is the orange- and red-colored light.”
So, the “blood moon” moniker is not just for dramatic effect. It’s actually describing the remaining red light that’s shining onto the moon.
When is the next total lunar eclipse?
The next total lunar eclipse can be seen on July 27, 2018 on several continents, including South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. The event will be visible again in America on Jan. 21, 2019.