Total Lunar Eclipse, February 20

These things kinda sneak up on me.  And the cloudy weather had me thinking, "What's the point?"  But, if there's a break in the clouds, you'll be able to view a total eclipse of the moon tonight.  It should go from "regular" full near moonrise (around 5:30pm) to completely eclipsed by around 7pm, to regularly full around 9pm.

During the fully eclipsed stage, the moon often takes on a reddish color.  That's because just about the only light that reaches an eclipsed moon is that which has been refracted through the earth's atmosphere.  So, just as the sun on the horizon often looks reddish, the eclipsed moon also looks reddish.  It's got something to do with the relative ability of red versus blue light to be refracted by the atmoshphere rather than just scattered.

If it's dry, a few telescopes may be set up around Monrovia's Library Square Park (corner of Myrtle and Lime).  If you can't make it there, you can view the eclipsed moon with your naked eye, or with regular binoculars from where ever you happen to be.