TONIGHT ON ABC7: Total blood moon eclipse set to unfold | Here's how to watch

ABC7 is taking you to the sky tonight to see a blood moon as a lunar eclipse moves into Earth's orbit.The penumbral eclipse, when the moon is completely immersed in the penumbral cone of the Earth without touching the umbra, the inner part of Earth's shadow, is expected to begin Sunday just after 6:32 p.m. PT, according to NASA.

The penumbral eclipse results in only part of the moon going dark.

If you'd like to see the phenomenon outside with your loved ones, Griffith Observatory will be open to the public Sunday night for onsite public viewing.

"This is really an eclipse for the Americas," said NASA's Noah Petro, a planetary geologist who specializes in the moon. "It's going to be a treat."

All you need, he noted, are "patience and eyeballs."

It's true! You also don't need a telescope to see the lunar eclipse either. All you have to do is go outside and look up to the southeast after the moon rises at around 7:41 p.m.

The appearance of the moon changes during the course of an eclipse, and it's worth viewing multiple times during the night.

A total eclipse occurs when Earth passes directly between the moon and the sun, and casts a shadow on our constant, cosmic companion. The moon will be 225,000 miles (362,000 kilometers) away at the peak of the eclipse - around midnight on the U.S. East Coast.

"This is this gradual, slow, wonderful event that as long as it's clear where you are, you get to see it," Petro said.

There'll be another lengthy total lunar eclipse in November, with Africa and Europe lucking out again, but not the Americas. Then the next one isn't until 2025.

Launched last fall, NASA's asteroid-seeking Lucy spacecraft will photograph this weekend's event from 64 million miles (103 million kilometers) away, as ground controllers continue their effort to fix a loose solar panel.

NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, a geologist, plans to set her alarm clock early aboard the International Space Station.

"Hopefully, we can be up in time and be at the right place at the right time to catch a good glimpse," she told The Associated Press earlier this week.

The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.