Stargazers in the Americas and Asia will be treated to a lunar eclipse Wednesday, a celestial show that will bathe the moon in red to create a "blood moon."

During the total lunar eclipse, which will last several hours, the Earth will pass between the sun and the moon.

As it happens, the moon will reflect sunlight scattered in the Earth's atmosphere, taking on a red hue.

The eclipse will start at 0800 GMT, or 4:00 am on the east coast of the United States, and will continue until sunrise.

Sky watchers will also be able to see the phenomenon live via NASA's robotic telescope service, Slooh.

NASA's lunar experts will answer questions ahead of the celestial event via live web chat from 0700 GMT.

"NASA moon experts will be up all night on October 8 to answer your questions," the space agency said.

The eclipse is the second of four total lunar eclipses, starting with a first "blood moon" on April 15, in a series astronomers call a tetrad.

The next two total lunar eclipses will be on April 4 and September 28 of next year.

The last time a tetrad took place was in 2003-2004, with the next predicted for 2032-2033. In total, the 21st century will see eight tetrads.

Amateur astronomists in Africa or Europe are out of luck, NASA said, as the event will not be visible in those regions.