The last total lunar eclipse visible from North America until December 21, 2010 starts this evening around 20:43 Eastern. Totality will be reached at 22:01 Eastern and everything will be back to normal by 00:09 Eastern.

The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Eclipse Home Page has all sorts of information about tonight’s eclipse, including why there is an eclipse tonight. There’s also an excellent primer on Mr. Eclipse’s website.

Oh, and unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are completely safe to watch without special eye protection, so you can head out and stare at it intently. Happy viewing!

UPDATE: See my pictures of the eclipse.

Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA’s GSFC