Clouds may spoil a lunar spectacle

Weather permitting, the night sky will host a show Wednesday the likes of which won't be visible again from Sacramento until late 2010.

Wednesday's total eclipse of the moon will last about three hours, including just under an hour of "totality," when the Earth's shadow falls over the moon completely.

"We're hoping it doesn't rain, although right now the long-range forecast is not very promising," Frank Dibbell, chief docent at the Cameron Park Community Observatory, said Friday as he sized up prospects for the observatory's eclipse event.

Total lunar eclipses are relatively common, yet Dibbell finds them compelling even after decades of sky gazing.

"It's just odd to see a deep orange or garnet red moon in the sky," he said. "It never gets old."

Unlike last August's total eclipse, enjoyed by sky watchers who managed to be awake around 3 a.m., this one begins at a more civilized 5:43 p.m.

That's when the Earth's shadow first touches the full moon.

The band of darkness will broaden until about 7 p.m., when it covers the moon entirely.

The moon's appearance will change dramatically as the earth's shadow passes across, turning it a dull red, a vivid orange or other dusky shades from brown to gray.

That totality will last until around 7:50 p.m., and the last curve of shadow will be gone entirely soon after 9 p.m.

How good the viewing will be, though, depends on whether skies cloud up as predicted.

Wednesday night will be mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers, the National Weather Service's Web site predicted Monday.

Although no one needs a telescope – or company – to view a lunar eclipse, amateur astronomers are planning gatherings around the region that should offer plenty of both.

Members of the Sacramento Valley Astronomical Society plan to aim telescopes at the moon, Mars, the Orion Nebula and other celestial objects during a public eclipse observation from 6 to 10 p.m. at Mather Regional Park on Eagles Nest Road.

"You can only watch the shadow pass for so long before you say, 'Gee, let's look at something else,' " said Lynda Hall, the group's outreach director, who tentatively plans to stage a phases-of-the-moon demonstration as part of the event.

Moon- and stargazers will also gather from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Auburn Dam overlook near Auburn: from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the fourth-floor roof of Amador Hall at California State University, Sacramento; and from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Cameron Park Community Observatory, which is actually in Placerville, on Folsom Lake College's Campus Drive.

Those who prefer to stay closer to home should be able to see the eclipse from any open space with a clear view of the eastern horizon, since it begins soon after moonrise, when the moon is low in the sky.

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