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San Diegans Should Have Clear View of 'Blood Moon' Eclipse

The moon seen from Manila, Philippines, during a total lunar eclipse in December 2012, as the Earth casts a shadow across the face of our nearest celestial neighbor.
Bullit Marquez/AP
The moon seen from Manila, Philippines, during a total lunar eclipse in December 2012, as the Earth casts a shadow across the face of our nearest celestial neighbor.

Viewing Eclipse In San Diego

9:55 p.m. Monday: Eclipse begins.

10:59 p.m. Monday: Moon starts to get red.

12:08 a.m. Tuesday: Total eclipse begins with moon completely red.

1:28 a.m. Tuesday: Total eclipse ends.

3:36 a.m. Tuesday: Event ends.

For more information, go to timeanddate.com

Clear skies mean sky-watchers in San Diego County should have a good view of the lunar eclipse that begins at 9:55 p.m. Monday and ends early Tuesday.

The total eclipse of the moon will be the first visible from North America since 2010. It also will be a "blood moon," in which our nearest celestial neighbor will look the color of a desert sunset.

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That should be the case for much of the West and Midwest, but those on the East Coast will likely have their view of the eclipse obscured by clouds.

The reason for the red-colored moon? Because "even when the Earth moves directly between the moon and the sun, filtered sunlight still shines through Earth's atmosphere, making the moon appear red."

The Weather Channel forecasts heavy cloud cover for most of the eastern third of the country. But even if you miss the show, you'll get a few more chances over the next year or so. Monday night's event is the first of a "tetrad" of four consecutive lunar eclipses visible from North America coming at six-month intervals, with another in October and two more next year.

Here's a link to the U.S. Naval Observatory's page that allows you to input your city for specific times of penumbra, umbra and totality.

A chart showing the area in North America where the total lunar eclipse will be visible late Monday and early Tuesday.
NASA
A chart showing the area in North America where the total lunar eclipse will be visible late Monday and early Tuesday.