With luck, this week’s cloud cover will clear tonight, Sunday, January 20, offering a view of a rare total lunar eclipse. Officially called a Super Blood Wolf Moon, the unusual celestial event happens when several night sky conditions converge – and the name tells it all. “Super” because the moon’s elliptical orbit will bring it to within 90 percent of its closest possible distance to Earth making it appear extra large. Total lunar eclipses are called blood moons because the moon turns a dark red as it enters Earth’s shadow. Native American’s gave each month’s full moon a unique name; a January full moon is known as a “wolf moon.” With clear skies, Morongo Basin residents will see a partial eclipse begin high in the northern sky at 7:34 Sunday evening and continue until about 10:50 p.m. with the total Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse lasting about an hour starting at 8:41 p.m. The next opportunity to see a lunar eclipse during a super moon won’t happen until May 2021.
