This Saturday (April 4), another eclipse will enter the skies and will be the third in less than a year.

What makes this lunar eclipse a once in a lifetime event, however, is that it will only last for five minutes, the shortest span in 100 years.

On April 4 at 6:16 a.m. ET, the eclipse will start as the Moon edges closer to the amber core in Earth's shadow. The whole lunar event will take another hour and 45 minutes for the shadow of the planet to span across the lunar disk and it will totally enshroud the moon at 7:58 a.m. ET.

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Sunrise, however, will interrupt this lunar eclipse for those watching on the eastern parts of the U.S. Those on the west coast will be able to view the event, including a total lunar eclipse.

This lunar eclipse will last a total of four minutes and 43 seconds since the Moon won't be passing through the center of Earth's shadow and will just skim the edges.

Lunar eclipses involve five stages where each one reveals a different view when it's about to be observed from the ground. This particular weekend event can be witnessed with binoculars or amateur telescopes but it can be also enjoyed with the naked eye.

The first stage of this lunar eclipse will start as the leading edge of the Moon enters the outermost side of Earth's shadow. The second stage commences with a partial eclipse.

The third stage will be the total lunar eclipse and the fourth stage starts when the Moon moves away from the planet's shadow. The fifth stage involves the Moon being out of the darkness.

The strange red hue of lunar eclipses occur due to sunrises and sunsets on Earth during that exact same moment that produces a massive amount of light that escapes from the planet's shadow. When this coppery glow fills in the shadow, it makes the Moon appear like a giant red sphere. This is also why many call lunar eclipses as called blood moons.

When the air is free from pollution and clear all throughout, the lunar eclipse will shine brightly but when a haze is imminent from the stratosphere, the Moon will become a darker red, ash gray or even black.

This total lunar eclipse on Saturday is the third of four eclipses predicted to occur in six months' time. Astronomers also consider this event a tetrad, which is an extremely rare cosmic event.

The next eclipse will be seen on September 28.

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