Skywatchers are in for a treat Sunday night. Scott Young, an astronomer at the Manitoba Planetarium, explains what will happen around 9:30 or 10:00 p.m.

"We have a total lunar eclipse that is going to be visible all throughout North America. It will be a great time to see the clockwork of the solar system happening right in front of your eyes. The moon will rise over in the east just as the sun sets and, as it gets darker, you will start to notice that the moon's shape will change over the course of the evening. Basically, the moon is moving into the shadow of the earth."

Young says the total phase of the eclipse will start just before 11:00 p.m. and will last for more than an hour. He notes this eclipse will be highly visible because there is also a supermoon, which means the moon will appear bigger and brighter than usual. Furthermore, he says the timing of this eclipse will make it special.

"This one is a little unusual just because it is so well placed for us here. Often, we'll get to see the last half of it or it will start in the night and the moon will set before it's over. This one happens just after the moon rises and the moon doesn't set until after the event, so we get to see the whole thing."

(Photo credit: Manitoba Planetarium)