Sunday Night's Super Wolf Blood Moon

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The term "super" refers to the placement of the moon. This month, the moon will be at its closest point to Earth’s orbit, making it appear larger than normal. The "wolf" derives from the Native American nickname for January's full moon and the wolves who "howled in hunger outside the villages," according to the Farmer's Almanac.

Use of "blood" comes from the way the sun’s light bends and refracts off the Earth's atmosphere and onto the moon’s surface, making it appear red or copper at times. Called "Rayleigh scattering," it also causes the myriad colors of sunrises and sunsets as well as what makes the sky look blue. Clouds, dust, ash and organic matter in Earth’s atmosphere may change the expected color of a super wolf blood moon.

"We’re not sure what color it will turn. It really depends on the earth’s atmosphere, whether we’ve had storms, volcanic eruptions, all sorts of things," explained Dr. David Reitzel, an astronomer and lecturer at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles."Sometimes you can even get a turquoise color to it. Sometimes the light that goes through the very top part of our atmosphere, it can bend and hit the moon, [making it appear turquoise]," he added. "Look for this phenomenon at the beginning and end of totality."

Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse can we viewed with the naked eye. Experts recommend binoculars and telescopes to enhance the experience though.

If the skies are clear, the eclipse will be visible from anywhere in North America, according to the Griffith Observatory. Viewers in Europe, Africa and the central Pacific may also be able to take in the total eclipse expected to last roughly 62 minutes (the entire eclipse process will last roughly three hours and 17 minutes.)

On the East Coast, the event will begin at 9:36 p.m. ET Sunday. The edge of the moon will start to dim, considered a "partial" eclipse at this point. In another two-and-a-half hours until 12:12 a.m. ET, the total eclipse will be at its peak.

Get ready to howl at the moon.