Wheeling. W. VA (WTRF) – Well astronomy lovers and star gazers, look to the skies Early Tuesday morning with a sight to see for the Ohio Valley.

The Moon, Earth, and the Sun will align for a Total Lunar Eclipse to occur.

What is a Total Lunar Eclipse?

A total lunar eclipse takes place when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon and its shadow covers the Moon. Anyone who watches the eclipse will see the moon turn blood red when it reaches peak totality.

The main reason the moon looks red is because the Earth has an atmosphere. Earth casts a shadow on the moon due to the orientation of itself, The Sun, and Moon. During the time of totality, the shadow cast on the moon from the Earth will appear a rusty orange/red color. If Earth didn’t have an atmosphere, the shadow would appear black or not have a shadow at all.

Will we be able to see the eclipse?

We will trend mainly dry for the overnight hours with a few clouds overhead. I do expect some portions of the Ohio Valley to see patchy clouds through the timeframe of the maximum eclipse.

The eclipse will start at 3:02 AM and end at 8:56 AM Tuesday morning. The Maximum eclipse starts around 6 AM.

Also, its the first full moon of the month!

The Beaver Moon is known as the first full moon of November.

Peak fullness is expected at 6:02 AM with the full effect likely being red, due to the shadow of the earth’s atmosphere being cast on the moon’s surface.

If you capture pictures of the moon, email them over to weather@wtrf.com or send them to the 7News Facebook page.