Rainy Weather May Overshadow Eclipse

If it ever stops raining, Weho residents with a clear view of the night sky late Monday and early Tuesday will be able to see a full moon pass through the Earth's shadow in this season's total lunar eclipse.

The vivid event has been called the Christmas lunar eclipse due to it happening just days before the holiday.

Although this is the second lunar eclipse of 2010 (the previous eclipse was June 26), it is the first total lunar eclipse since Feb. 20, 2008. This eclipse is also the first to occur simultaneously with a  since 1638.

The eclipse will be dark with hints of warm red and orange tones because of the recent volcanic eruptions in Indonesia at Mount Merapi, according to NASA.

Dark eclipses are caused by volcanic gas and dust that filter and block much of the sun's light from reaching the moon.

To view shades of copper during this eclipse, the best time to view the occurrence here in West Hollywood will be 17 minutes after midnight, NASA reports. The moon will be in the deepest shadow at that time.

Eclipse times:

• 10:33 p.m. Monday—partial eclipse begins
• 11:41 p.m. Monday—total eclipse begins
• 12:17 a.m. Tuesday—mid-eclipse
• 12:53 a.m. Tuesday—total eclipse ends
• 2:01 a.m. Tuesday—partial eclipse ends