Look Up! Total Lunar Eclipse Before Sunrise Saturday

DETROIT (WWJ) - Sky watchers are in for a treat: a nearly five-minute total lunar eclipse is coming early Saturday morning.

So, will we get a good look at it here in Southeast Michigan?

"It's going to really be dependent upon where you are and what the surrounding environment is like," said Michael Narlock, head of astronomy at the Cranbrook Institute of Science.

"It happens very, very close to sunrise time, and it's going to be very, very low in our sky," he said. "So if you're in an area that you have lots of trees, it's probably going to be behind those trees. But if you live in an area — maybe on a lake — and you have this nice expanse in front of you, you'll be able to see what looks like a reddish bite taken out of the moon."

A lunar eclipse happens when the sun, Earth and moon form a straight line in space, with the Earth in the middle.

Narlock told WWJ's Jackie Paige the best time to spot the phenomenon will be just after 6 a.m.

"When the beginning parts of what we can see happen, it's about quarter-after six in the morning, and it's gonna be about 10 degrees above the horizon or so," he said.

If your heart is set on seeing it — and a quick trip is in the budget — you might want to hop on a flight to L.A.

"...The best place to see this eclipse is actually in the western part of the United States; so the further west you go, the more it's going to be seen a nighttime, further away from sunrise time, and the better view you're gonna get of it."

Narlock said this is the third lunar eclipse in what's called a Tetrad — a rare series of four happening very close together.

"Lunar eclipses happen a couple times a year, give or take," Narlock said. "Many people think that lunar eclipses far more frequently than solar eclipses, which is actually not true. Solar eclipses actually happen a little more frequently, but you have to be in a very specific part of the earth to see it. For a lunar eclipse you just have to be basically on the nighttime side of the earth."

Those who miss Saturday morning's eclipse will have to wait all summer to see another one. The next eclipse will be on Sept. 28.