Although kids will have school the next day, it might be worth staying up with the family on Sunday, January 20, as a total lunar eclipse will be visible across Canada.

The exciting celestial event will be a Blood Moon, as well as a supermoon. A supermoon indicates that the moon is close to the earth, where the term "blood moon" comes from the colour the moon appears to be during the eclipse.

As the moon travels through the earth's shadow and blocks the direct sunlight, only indirect light reaches the surface of the moon. These indirect rays pass through the atmosphere and are filtered out based on the composition of the atmosphere itself. In this case, rays on the violet spectrum are filtered out, and red rays are least affected. This is what causes the moon to appear yellow, orange, brown, or red in colour.

For Manitobans, the eclipse will start Sunday night at approximately 8:36 p.m. and continue until 1:48 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 21. The eclipse will reach its peak around 11:12 p.m.

If you're unsure as to whether you want to stay up and watch it, your next chance will come in May of 2022 where all of Canada will be within the best visibility range.

Light pollution and clouds are a few factors to take into account if you plan to bundle up and keep your eyes on the sky. No special equipment is required to view the moon, and if conditions are ideal, even a cell phone should be able to capture the spectacle.