New Delhi: A total eclipse of the Moon lasting 76 minutes will occur shortly after midnight of Tuesday, May 4, according to astronomers.

This will be a sky show reserved primarily for those living in the Eastern Hemisphere. North America will miss out on the entire show, as the Moon will be below the horizon during midday and afternoon hours.

This will be the third such event within a span of less than a year, the two previous lunar eclipses having occurred during 2003 on May 15 and 16 and November 8.

The eclipse will begin at 23:21 hrs (IST), Tuesday and end at 4:40 hrs (IST), Wednesday. The total eclipse, during which the moon will be totally invisible, will last for 76 minutes beginning 01:22 hrs, Wednesday.

The best region for viewing this eclipse will fall over across Western Asia, much of the Indian Ocean and the Eastern two-thirds of Africa. The entire eclipse will be visible from this region, astronomers say.

The opening stages of this eclipse will be visible at or just before moonset, from much of Central and Eastern Asia (except Northeast Siberia), most of Indonesia and Australia. Across the Eastern third of Australia (where the calendar will read May 5) the Moon will set while still in total eclipse.

The next total lunar eclipse will occur on the night of October 28 and 29 and will favour most of the Americas, as well as Western portions of Europe and Africa.