When's the best time to see this weekend's total eclipse of the moon?

This weekend's total eclipse of the moon will be at its most impressive, and easiest to make out, between 1am and 1.30am on Sunday morning, when the full moon will be in the Earth's shadow. At this time the moon will be high in the southern sky, in the constellation of Aries. Weather permitting, you should be able to see the eclipse from anywhere on Earth where it is dark between those times (GMT).

Don't look for the normal bright glow of a full moon though. During a lunar eclipse (when the Earth sits directly between the sun and the moon), the moon turns red - anywhere between a bright and greyish brown to a moody blood red. This is because the Earth is blocking out and stopping any direct sunlight from hitting the moon, but some will reach the moon after being bent through the Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere filters out the blue part of the sun's light, and so only red light illuminates the moon. (The exact hue of the moon will depend on the Earth's weather conditions prior to the event.)

The eclipse will actually begin at about 11:30pm on Saturday, when the moon will start to be hidden by the shade of the Earth. The top left corner will disappear first, but because the remainder of the moon is so bright, it will probably not be possible to see the shaded part at this stage (instead it may look as if something has taken a bite out of the moon). The shadow will take about one and a half hours to reach totality - when the moon is completely in the shade. After half an hour of total eclipse, the bottom left corner of the moon will appear bright again and by 3:05am the full moon will be shining as normal.

Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are completely safe to watch with the naked eye. Telescopes or protective filters are not required for this wonderful spectacle - but a pair of binoculars will help magnify the view of the moon.

Other recommended equipment includes warm clothes, a comfortable viewing position and some luck - a cloudy sky will hide the show.