This is a relatively rare central lunar eclipse where the center point of Earth's shadow passes across the Moon. The last time a lunar eclipse was closer to the center of the earth's shadow was on July 16, 2000. The next central total lunar eclipse will be on July 27, 2018.
Photo courtesy of National Geographic
On June 15 Earth's shadow started to darken the moon around 18:22 universal time, or UT (2:22 p.m. eastern time).
The total lunar eclipse will began at 19:22 UT and will last for more than a hundred minutes. The deepest part of the eclipse will occur at 20:12 UT, as the moon plunges into the umbra, the dark center of our planet's shadow.
The last hint of Earth's shadow will slip off the moon around 22:02 UT.
The whole spectacle will of course be available to the naked eye as well—provided you're in the right place at the right time.
Except for northern Scotland and Scandinavia, most of Europe as well as eastern South America and western Africa will see totality underway around moonrise—just as the sun begins to set on June 15.
"The best place to be is where you would be able to view the moon throughout the eclipse—and the higher in the sky it is, the better," Burress said. "From that standpoint, the best location for viewing the entire eclipse is eastern Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the western tip of Australia."
From Indonesia to New Zealand, viewers will get to see the moon's face slowly eaten away by the initial stages of the lunar eclipse just before the moon sets on June 16.
This celestial event won't be visible from North America, unfortunately for Canadian, Mexican, and U.S. eclipse hunters, who will have to wait until December 10, when western parts of the continent will be treated to the next lunar eclipse.
