Clouds could eclipse eclipse

Photo: Contributed - Gary Walters

Lunar eclipse Dec. 10, 2011

Sky gazers in the Okanagan are in for a rare treat tonight - if the weather cooperates.

What is known as a "blood moon" lunar eclipse will occur in the skies from about 11 p.m. until around 1:30 a.m.

The forecast for the Okanagan Monday calls for sunshine today with a mix of cloud with more cloud overnight.

Meteorologist Doug Lundquist says it will be a race to see which comes first, the cloud or the eclipse.

"There is a system moving in that will bring increasing clouds, but I'm hoping perhaps it doesn't come until after midnight," says Lundquist.

"There's a good chance we'll see part of it, but we are definitely watching it (cloud movement).":

According to NASA the eclipse will begin when the edge of the moon first enters the amber core of Earth’s shadow at about 11 p.m. Pacific time.

Totality occurs during a 78 minute interval beginning around midnight.

Why the red colour?

NASA explains it this way:

Imagine yourself standing on a dusty lunar plain looking up at the sky. Overhead hangs Earth, nightside down, completely hiding the sun behind it. The eclipse is underway.

You might expect Earth seen in this way to be utterly dark, but it's not. The rim of the planet is on fire! As you scan your eye around Earth's circumference, you're seeing every sunrise and every sunset in the world, all of them, all at once. This incredible light beams into the heart of Earth's shadow, filling it with a coppery glow and transforming the Moon into a great red orb.

Members of the Okanagan Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) will host a public lunar eclipse viewing on the parking lot of the Kelowna Curling Club beginning at 10 p.m.

NASA VIDEO EXPLAINING ECLIPSE