Skywatchers across the Grand Lake Region have a good reason to stay up past bedtime later this week.

A partial lunar eclipse will be visible Thursday night into early Friday morning, with nearly the entire Moon expected to slip into Earth's darker shadow.

The noticeable portion of the eclipse is expected to begin around 10:33 p.m. Thursday. The show reaches its peak at about 12:12 a.m. Friday, when roughly 93 percent of the Moon will be covered by Earth's darker shadow.

For anyone who does not feel like making an entire night of it, heading outside sometime around midnight should provide one of the best views.

Early weather forecasts are also looking promising. The National Weather Service is currently calling for mostly clear skies Thursday night across the area after an earlier chance for showers and thunderstorms.

And there is no need to dig those old eclipse glasses out of the junk drawer.

Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is completely safe to watch with the naked eye. Binoculars and telescopes can also be used for a closer look.

The partial phase will continue into early Friday morning before the Moon eventually moves completely out of Earth's shadow.