Set your alarm for 3 a.m. to catch this morning’s early total eclipse of the moon. While the Western states will have the best view of the event, in which the Earth occludes the sun’s light on the surface of the moon, totality will occur above the Midwest before moonset. Safety tip: Don’t burn your retinas by looking directly at the blinding light of the moon. Just kidding — little eclipse humor there. Note to characters from H. Rider Haggard novels: Lunar eclipses, while dramatic, lack the astronomical punch of a solar eclipse and may not convince tribal chieftains that you have godlike powers over the heavens.
