Total lunar eclipse and supermoon all in one

A rare cosmic geometry will take place in the sky from Sunday to Monday, with moon enthusiasts and stargazers in Cyprus having a chance to enjoy the universe playing with colour.

Over Cyprus, starting Monday morning at 5:34am, the moon will begin entering Earth's shadow and turning initially dark and then into a rusty colour. Sunlight will scatter to produce the red colours of sunset and sunrise when it enters Earth's atmosphere at a particular angle.

According to local experts, the entire moon will be in Earth’s shadow by 6:41am and those who wake up early to watch on January 21 will see a range of colours and eventually a big red moon. The show will stop as the sun will rise promptly at 6:52am, while the phenomenon will continue to play out in the sky but it simply won’t be visible after sunrise.

Local experts say the best time window to view the phenomenon is between 6:30am and 6:52am Monday morning. No special equipment or precautions are necessary for viewing.

A total lunar eclipse is referred to as a blood moon because when the sun, Earth and moon all line up briefly, the shadow of the Earth casts a reddish shadow on its lone natural satellite.

But the moon will also appear bigger, the supermoon, meaning the moon is at the point in its orbit where it's just a little bit closer to us, making it seem 10 to 15 percent larger in the sky.

In January, the full moon is also sometimes known as the wolf moon or great spirit moon.

The next total lunar eclipse won’t be until May 2021. But as for full-moon supermoons, this will be the first of three this year.