Furness astrologers are looking forward to beholding a red moon if the clouds clear for tonight's lunar eclipse.

This evening the moon will enter the shadow cast by the Earth in space at around 17:44GMT.

The moon will be in full shadow between 20:20 and 20:52.

During this time the moon may turn a spectacular red colour as sunlight passing through the Earth's atmosphere refracts red light towards the Moon.

It is hoped that the spectacle will not be obscured by the forecasted 'fairly cloudy' weather.

If you'd like a truly close-up view, the Furness Astro Society will be holding an observatory meeting at 6pm at their telescope in Barrow.

See their site at www.furness-astro-society.org.uk for full details.

During the eclipse you may also catch a glimpse of the 14-year old Mir space station.

If you look high towards the south you should be able to see Mir at 16:48 and again at 18:22.

If the clouds are blocking the view you can try again on Wedsnesday at 16.58.

Don't waste time waving though, the station has been unmanned since August.

Mir, which was almost lost in 1997 when a cosmonaut accidentally disconnected a plug, will be sent crashing to Earth at the end of February.

Russia no longer has the resources to keep it running.

A private US-Russian company, MirCorp, planned to turn the space station into a 'space hotel' but failed to raise the necessary funds.

Russia's space agency will be rocketing fuel to the station in the next few weeks to give it enough momentum to send it back to Earth.

Mir should ditch safely in the ocean, somewhere east of Australia, on February 27 or 28.