Hawaii residents will be treated to two total lunar eclipses this year, the first one Monday night.

Roy Gal, assistant astronomer and outreach coordinator at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Institute for Astronomy, said it is uncommon for Hawaii to get two total lunar eclipses in one year.

"We’re very lucky," he said.

That is, if the weather cooperates.

According to NASA, Monday’s eclipse is timed ideally for those in the Western Hemisphere. Total lunar eclipses occur when the moon enters the Earth’s shadow. The last one visible to Hawaii took place in June 2011.

While the first phase of the eclipse starts at 6:53 p.m., changes to the moon’s appearance won’t be visible to the islands until 7:58 p.m.

The total phase of the eclipse is expected to run from 9:06 to 10:24 p.m.

During that period, Gal said, the moon will be dark and deep red, which allows for more stars to become visible.

Gal said the copper-red color is attributed to the Earth’s atmosphere. As the Earth moves in between the moon and sun, light from the sun shines through the Earth’s atmosphere and reaches the moon.

Depending on cloud conditions, Gal said it could be possible to see other celestial sights.

"It’s great because normally when there’s a full moon, you don’t get to see much because it’s so bright," Gal said.

Mars will be directly above the moon, while Jupiter will be setting in the west in the constellation Gemini. Saturn rises under the moon at 8:46 p.m. ahead of the constellation Scorpio.

UH-Manoa’s Institute for Astronomy will host two free eclipse-viewing parties for the public at Kapiolani Park and Kahuku Public Library from 7 to 11:30 p.m. The school will bring telescopes and binoculars from its labs for the public to use during the eclipse.

Bishop Museum is also hosting its own lunar eclipse viewing from 8 to 11:30 p.m. Monday. General admission is $8, $6 for ages 4 to 12, and free for Bishop Museum members and kids under 4.

The museum will also have some of its exhibits open during the eclipse.

A second total lunar eclipse is expected to take place Oct. 7. According to NASA, the greatest phase of that eclipse is expected to take place near the zenith from the Pacific Ocean, about 1,242 miles southwest of Hawaii.

Gal noted that parts of the world will only get to see parts of the eclipse.

"It’s quite unusual to have two in a year," Gal said. "And we get to see both. On the East Coast, for example, when the lunar eclipse reaches totality, it’ll be 3 a.m. The next one (in October), however, will reach totality before sunrise there, so they won’t get to see much."