Blood Moon
The complete April 2014 total lunar eclipse can be seen in this image. In the sequence, the moon enters Earth's partial shadow, darkens and turns red as it enters Earth's shadow. Reuters

It feels like eclipse season with a total lunar eclipse happening less than a month after Europe was treated to a partial solar eclipse. The "blood moon," which happens Saturday, is the third in a tetrad -- a series of four eclipses each around six months apart -- and will be visible over the Pacific Ocean. Unlike a solar eclipse, there will be no need for any protection for safe viewing and stargazers only have to look up to see the event.

The West Coast of the United States will be in prime position for the total lunar eclipse while the East Coast will see a partial eclipse low on the horizon. The lunar eclipse will begin around 3:18 a.m. PDT (6:18 a.m. EDT), with the moon completely covered at 4:58 a.m. PDT (7:58 a.m. EDT), NASA said. Hawaii and New Zealand will have a total lunar eclipse high in the night sky, while Japan, Australia, China and Southeast Asia will see the eclipse during the evening hours, Sky and Telescope said. For stargazers, you do not want to blink or get up for a quick snack during the eclipse. The moon will be completely covered for just five minutes, ending at 5:03 a.m. PDT (8:03 a.m. EDT).

As for how the total lunar eclipse gets its nickname, it's all about sunsets and sunrises on Earth. A total lunar eclipse happens when the sun, Earth and the moon are aligned. The sun is behind Earth and its light frames the planet, and if you're on the moon, you're witnessing all the sunrises and sunsets on Earth at the same time. All this light gets focused into the shadow of the Earth and onto the moon, creating the red or copper color for a so-called blood moon. The last lunar eclipse took place on Oct. 8, 2014, and the final eclipse to complete the tetrad will occur in September.

The beginning of the tetrad led to some speculation about a blood moon conspiracy or some other calamity that would doom Earth. Tetrads can be uncommon, but the 21st century has been spoiled with eight lunar tetrads. During a 300 period between 1600 and 1900 there were no tetrads. It's unlikely the total lunar eclipse will cause anything more than accelerated heart rates and excitement for stargazers.