DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight people around much of the world will be trying to get a glimpse of the first lunar eclipse of the year. As CNN's Ann Kellan now tells us, the eclipse will be seen best from Europe and Africa.</s>ANN KELLAN, CNN SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A lunar eclipse can be a sight to behold. These images of past eclipses give a preview of what could appear over parts of Europe, Africa and Asia. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth gets between the sun and the moon, throwing the moon into shadow, except for rays of sunlight that sneak around the Earth, sometimes casting a red glow on the moon. If clouds and atmospheric dust don't get in the way, the red, glowing moon could be quite a sight.</s>FRED ESPENAX, NASA GODDARD SPACE CENTER: Of course, the paramount thing is to have clear weather on the night of the lunar eclipse, to get a good view of it. If you can get away from some of the brighter city lights, you'll get a better view of the eclipse.</s>KELLAN: Prime viewing is in Europe and Africa. The show starts at about 1845 Greenwich Mean Time, the best viewing between 1945 to 2045 GMT. The eclipse is also visible over Eastern Asia, but because of the time difference, it will happen later that night, into the pre-dawn hours of January 10th. To see it, you don't really need special gear or protection for your eyes. Just find a dark area and look up. A pair of binoculars might enhance the show.</s>ESPENAX: For a lunar eclipse, it's completely safe. The only danger might be tripping over something in the dark.</s>KELLAN: Because there hasn't been a volcanic eruption in years to cloud the atmosphere, scientists say this lunar eclipse has the potential to be spectacular. So don't miss the opportunity. The next total lunar eclipse won't occur until May 16th, 2003. Ann Kellan, CNN, Atlanta.
Tonight's Lunar Eclipse Best Seen from Europe and Africa