Let’s start with the big news—the total lunar eclipse! Then, we’ll take a fun tour of the Moon’s phases and the magic of lunation.

An Election Day Total Lunar Eclipse:

From most of the U.S. and Canada, the entire lunar eclipse will be visible early on November 8. Depending on your time zone, that means staying up late on Monday November 7th or setting your alarm to wake up early in the wee hours of Tuesday November 8th. (See the eclipse times for your time zone are below.)

The eclipsed Moon will be a strange, coppery sight—which is why you may hear this referred to as a “Blood Moon.” It is well worth a look by both early risers and insomniacs who have unobstructed views of the low western sky.

And here’s a fun fact: This is the first time in U.S. history that we’re enjoying an Election Day Total Lunar Eclipse. It has never happened before and won’t happen again until 2394. A little spooky? Truly, it’s just a coincidence of how calendars work, but think what you will!

Watching the November 7/8 Eclipse:

Watching a total lunar eclipse won’t match the mind-blowing experience of totality during a solar eclipse or the brief seconds of an exploding meteor fireball. But still, we are all intrigued to watch our planet’s normally invisible shadow swallow the moon. It is proof we really live on a ball. And during totality, we will marvel at its odd ruddy color.

Admittedly, this eclipse is not at all very convenient. The first inky bite of our planet’s shadow strikes the Moon at 4:09 EST. meaning just after 4 AM in the Eastern States, and a little after 1 AM in the Pacific Time Zone, which means it’s technically happening during the opening hours of Tuesday. But during the next hour and change, the moon’s 2,200 mph motion through space pushes it further into the shadow, creating strange, alien shapes. The very weirdest unfold the quarter hour before totality, starting around 5 AM Eastern Time.  If you choose one viewing time to set the alarm for, it should be then.

Then at 5:15 AM EST the eclipse becomes total, and this lasts for nearly an hour. But the Moon is then getting lower and lower, so any hills, houses, or trees may block it altogether. But still, it is worth a look since lunar totality is a coppery red, caused by our planet’s shadow being orange, not black, since it’s tinted by all the world’s sunrises and sunsets throwing their ruddy light into the shadow. When our atmosphere is unusually cloudy or dusty, like after major volcanic eruptions, totalities have been inky black, with the moon completely vanishing. And this variability is one of the big unknowns and inspires curious onlookers who might otherwise prefer the extra hour of sleep.