Full Lunar Eclipse Tonight,

A rare Winter Full Lunar Eclipse will be visible Tonight. The full moon passes through the earth's shadow, starting around 1:33am EST. Totality begins at 2:41am EST and lasts for 72 minutes.

It's the only full lunar eclipse of the year, and the entire event will be visible in North America, Central America, a bit of South America, Greenland and Iceland.

During a lunar eclipse, the full moon passes through the Earth's shadow. That darkens the moon and gives it a ghostly color. The effect may be even more spectacular than usual this time, given the tons of dust that have been sent into the atmosphere by recent volcanic eruptions around the world. 

The moon may glow red or brown instead of the usual orange-yellow tinge.

Jim Lattis, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison astronomy department, said the eclipse will start subtly about 11:30 p.m. today, with the moon becoming fully shadowed by 1:40 a.m. Tuesday.

The eclipse will occur Monday night on the West Cost and in the early morning on the East Coast.