the chance tonight to see an event that has thrilled and frightened millions over the years.

The moon will rise in eclipse, a condition that often shrouds it in a blood red or coppery colour because of the light filtering through the Earth's atmosphere.

Such a moon has been thought to portend the fall of dynasties in China, convinced Arawak Indians that Columbus was a messenger from heaven and disheartened the defenders of Constantinople -- now Istanbul, causing the city to fall in 1453.

Local astronomer Dr. Morley Nash said yesterday that if the weather was clear tonight Bermudians would be able to see the total lunar eclipse -- when the earth passes between the sun and the moon -- from any point on the Island.

He predicted the best time to see it would be around 6.45 p.m. The moon rises around 6 p.m., he said, and by 7.15 p.m. it should be completely in the shadow of Earth.

"The whole thing will be over by 10 p.m.,'' he added.

And because it's an eclipse of the moon -- not the sun -- spectators can simply go outdoors and watch without worrying about the glare that occurs in solar eclipses.

Usually (in an eclipse) the moon takes on a bright brick-red colour, he explained.

But this time, thanks to the lingering dust from the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines, it could be darker red or blacked out, or a gradation.

The Philippine volcano blasted massive amounts of dust into the atmosphere in June 1991.

This is the first total eclipse of the moon since February 9, 1990, although there was a partial eclipse last June 15. The next total eclipse will be June 4, 1993.