Sunday, turn your eyes to the sky for a lunar eclipse you won't want to miss.

This Sunday, January 20th there will be a total lunar eclipse, or "blood moon" for people to see from anywhere in North or South America.

Brenden Petracek, a Former president of the Winnipeg chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, said that the eclipse will last from around 8:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.

"The reddening effect that you get happens only during a total lunar eclipse," shared Petracek explaining why Sunday's lunar event is to be so extraordinary.

A total lunar eclipse is when the light from the sun is blocked by the earth from reaching the moon.

The eclipse will start at 8:30 with a shadow that begins blocking out part of the moon. By around 10:30 the moon will start to look red, giving the total lunar eclipse the nickname blood moon. This red will only last about an hour but can be seen from within the city lights without a telescope. 

Lunar Eclipses happen once every few years. Winnipeg was fortunate enough to have had a couple eclipses in the last few years. However, after this Sunday the next eclipse, Winnipeg sees will be a few years away.

To see it the best yourself, Petracek says there is no formal criteria.

"You don't need to go anywhere special," said the star-watcher. "You just need to poke your head out every now and then to look and see how the moon has changed over the past 20 to 30 minutes."