A total lunar eclipse, commonly called a blood moon, will take place in March as many Houston-area students are wrapping up spring break.

The total lunar eclipse will start late on the night of March 13 and will end in the early hours of March 14, according to NASA. An eclipse like this happens when the Moon, Earth and Sun all align so that the Moon is passing into the Earth’s shadow.

A total lunar eclipse, or blood moon, will light up the sky on March 14, but it won't be visible in India. The event will be observed in North and South America, Western Europe, and other regions, lasting more than 65 minutes with a reddish appearance.

Lunar Trailblazer, an orbiter that shared a launch on Wednesday with the commercial Athena lander, will help scientists understand where the moon’s water is, and what form it takes.

On Wednesday 26 February, a thermal imaging camera built by researchers at the University of Oxford's Department of Physics will blast off to the moon as part of NASA's Lunar Trailblazer mission. This aims to map sources of water on the moon to shed light on the lunar water cycle and to guide future robotic and human missions.

An illustration shows NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer approaching the moon as it enters its science orbit in this artist’s concept. The small satellite will orbit about 60 miles (100 kilometers) above the lunar surface,