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Clouds likely to hide lunar eclipse Don't worry about missing it, there'll be another one in July By BILL KETTLER The full moon will go dim for more than an hour this evening, but odds are nobody in Southern Oregon will get to see the lunar eclipse. Forecasters were expecting another dose of clouds and rain to slip into the Rogue Valley late today, blocking any sight of the Northwest's first lunar eclipse since 1996. Don't think you can just drive for an hour or two and find clear skies to watch the show. Holly Snell, of the National Weather Service's Medford office, said stormy weather was expected to stretch all the way to central California. "Pretty much all of Oregon and Northern California are going to be cloudy," Snell said. Snell said lots of curious people have been calling the weather service office to inquire about visibility. "They're pretty disappointed," she said. The depth of the cloud cover will determine how much moonlight filters through tonight, but no moonlight will be seen for an hour and 17 minutes during the total eclipse. The eclipse will begin at 6:03 p.m. when the Earth begins to move between the moon and the sun. The moon will gradually darken as it slips into the penumbra, the soft outer fringe of Earth's shadow. Totality begins at 8:05 p.m. when the moon slides into the umbra -- the Earth's shadow. Totality ends at 9:22 p.m., when the moon begins to re-enter the penumbra. The eclipse will end at 11:24 p.m., when the moon moves out of the penumbra and the moon returns to full. The eclipse will be visible over much of North America and western Europe. In Hawaii, the eclipse will begin before the moon rises, and people will see a thin slip of moon rising out of the ocean, according to Sky and Telescope magazine. Skywatchers who have a clear view of the eclipse will spend the evening looking at the lunar disk with telescopes and binoculars, watching the changing play of light. Don't despair over missing a once-in-a-lifetime show. Lunar eclipses happen far more frequently than solar eclipses. The next lunar eclipse rolls through on July 16. That eclipse will be visible on the West Coast, but not in many other sections of the United States. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA