Total lunar eclipse to appear over Western Canada

Sky watchers in Western Canada will have a chance to observe a total lunar eclipse early Saturday morningfor the last time until 2014.

The Earth's shadow will completely cover the moon for a little over 50 minutes starting 6:05 a.m. PT , astronomy magazine Sky and Telescope reports.

According to NASA, the peak of the eclipse, when the moon will appear red or orange, will take place at 6:30 a.m. PT. That's roughly 1 hours before the sun is scheduled to rise and the moon is scheduled to set in Vancouver.

The peak takes place well after dawn for most of Canada. However, residents of Central Canada may be able to see the earlier stages of the eclipse, when the moon dims slightly as it enters the Earth's shadow. That will start to happen at 3:33 a.m. PT.

Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are perfectly safe to look at without any eye protection.

People in Hawaii, Australia and East Asia will have the best views of the eclipse, which takes place during their night. This is the second total lunar eclipse of the yearanother one took place in June, but during the daytime in North America. It was visible in Europe, Asia and Africa.

The next total lunar eclipse visible from North America won't take place until April 15, 2014, NASA says. However, a partial lunar eclipse will be visible in Eastern Canada around dawn on June 4, 2012, Sky and Telescope magazine reports.

NASA is taking advantage of Saturday's eclipse to take measurements with its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The unmanned spacecraft, which has been orbiting the moon since June 2009, will measure how quickly areas of the moon's day side cool off during the eclipse. The rate of cooling will depend on the composition, density, and rockiness of the lunar surface.