A lunar eclipse will turn the moon dark red tonight.

The partial eclipse will begin at 11.17pm with the maximum eclipse due at 1am.

Astronomer Tom List from Auckland's Stardome Observatory says you'll be able to see earth's shadow moving across the surface of the moon.

"When all of the moon is covered you just get a little bit of sunlight that's refracted through the earth's atmosphere and that gets bounced into the shadow and that makes the moon very red so when the lunar eclipse is total it'll be a very dark red moon."

List from Auckland's Stardome Observatory says if the skies are clear, it will be a great view.

"This will be quite a good lunar eclipse. It's a total one so the whole of the moon is in the earth's core shadow and it'll be the last one like that for a while so if we do get a good viewing it'll be quite a good view.

"It's one of nature's spectacular things so if you do get a chance to go out and watch it, it's a great thing for the whole family to enjoy."

Stardome Observatory will be hosting a special viewing event. It will be the last lunar eclipse seen in New Zealand until 2018.