Atlanta-area residents can turn their eyes skyward around 7:30 p.m. to catch the first sign of the eclipse, said David Dundee, astronomer at the Fernbank Science Center.

"It [eclipse] should be a really nice one," Dundee said.

By 8:43 p.m., the moon will begin to enter the umbra, or darkest segment, of the Earth's shadow. At 10:01 p.m. the moon will be fully in the world's shadow. It will remain hidden for 50 minutes, and then will begin emerging from the shadow. By 1:17 a.m. Thursday, the moon will be fully visible again, a silver ball rolling across the high blue.