It will be the first one for this millennium and if locals miss it, they will not be able to feast their eyes on anything remotely similar until Christmas Day.

Next week a total lunar eclipse will draw stargazers and the curious alike outside to watch the moon, the earth and the sun perform a cosmic pas-de-trois.

With a total lunar eclipse, the moon and the sun are opposite each other in our skies and the earth gets between them. As a result, the earth's shadow will fall on the moon, thus darkening it for around three-and-a-half hours.

According to Eddie McGonagle, the president of the Astronomical Society of Bermuda, locals will be able to see the eclipse with the naked eye -- if the weather conditions are favourable.

The last time a total lunar eclipse was seen in this part of the world was back in 1996 and although the world will experience a half-dozen lunar eclipses this year, Thursday's lunar eclipse will be the only one for Bermuda this year.

"There will be six lunar eclipses this year but they will take place at different parts of the world,'' said Mr. McGonagle. "Four is the normal and seven is the maximum -- it's rare to get seven.

"But next Thursday's is the first for this millennium and Bermuda will not see another eclipse until Christmas Day which will be a partial solar eclipse.

"This is it for lunar eclipses for this year in Bermuda.'' Mr. McGonagle estimated that the moon will start to `disappear' around 10 p.m.

local time and continue into the early hours of the morning.

"When there is a total lunar eclipse, theoretically the moon should be invisible,'' he explained. "But there will be a shadow because of the earth's atmosphere.'' Mr. McGonagle said that the shadow could take on a red appearance -- it all depended on the atmospheric conditions on Thursday.

Things like cloud cover, storm activity, human pollution and natural pollution from things like volcanoes will all play a factor in the exact colour of the moon's glow.

"If there's a recent volcano eruption, then there will be a lot of ash and soot in the atmosphere and you won't see much,'' he explained.

And Mr. McGonagle extended the public an invitation to join the members of the society in Southampton to watch the galactic event.

"The society will probably meet at Astwood Park to watch the eclipse,'' he said. "We will probably have a few telescopes on hand.'' The Astronomical Society of Bermuda has been staring into space for almost 40 years -- watching planets and stars, viewing eclipses and more importantly sharing their knowledge with the young and the young-at-heart.

"The Society was formed in the early 60s,'' recalled Mr. McGonagle. "At that time there was a large telescope at High Point in Southampton owned by Sandia Corp. which used it for their space work with NASA. When they closed down they left the telescope and allowed us to use it.

"We used it for a few viewing stations and then it was damaged during a hurricane.'' After loosing their large telescope, the Society used to view the night sky from the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital roof for a number of years.

"When the hospital put a new roof on, we went to the sixth form of the Prospect School (where CedarBridge Academy now stands),'' he recalled.

Total lunar eclipse "Over the years, the numbers have dwindled and the Society was reduced to a few members.

"We went around to the schools and let the children see out of a telescope and held seniors classes.'' But two years ago the Society noticed a renewed interest by the public in the sun, the moon and the stars.

"Two years ago the Adult Continuing Education School began holding an astronomy class. Twenty-one people signed up for that class and the number of participants did not decrease during the two years we had the course.'' Prompted by the impressive numbers, the Society decided to re-emerge again and held a meeting last Monday.

"There's definitely interest out there,'' exclaimed Mr. McGonagle. "So many people are interested in astrology and the mechanics of that system are basically the same as astronomy.

"Budding astrologers would find us very useful.'' The Society will hold a meeting on Monday at Gilbert Institute at 8 p.m.

regarding the upcoming eclipse. Everyone is welcomed and anyone interested in more information 236-3780.

ECLIPSE FACTS Here are few a facts and definitions which may come in handy when trying to understand a lunar eclipse: Eclipse: The obscuring of light from one heavenly body by another.

Penumbra: Since the sun's light comes from a wide disc and not a single point -- it gives the earth a shadow with a soft lighter edge known as the penumbra.

Umbra: The total shadow. In a lunar eclipse it is the earths shadow that is cast on the moon.

Orbit: The curved course of a planet, moon, satellite, etc.

Eclipses of the moon only occur when the moon is full -- when the sun and the moon are on opposite sides of the earth.

Source Reader's Digest Why in the World?