Lunar eclipse may be hidden by clouds

Cloudy skies tonight could shield the Inland Northwest from the first total lunar eclipse in nearly three years, forecasters said. The eclipse comes within hours of the winter solstice at 3:38 p.m. Tuesday, the official start of winter. The partial phase of tonight’s eclipse begins at 10:33 p.m. The moon enters its total eclipse when the Earth’s shadow passes across the face of the full moon at 11:41 p.m. The total lunar eclipse typically shades the darkened moon in a coppery or rusty glow due to sunlight passing through the Earth’s atmosphere. Mid-eclipse is at 12:17 a.m. with totality ending at 12:53 a.m. The second partial phase ends at 2:01 a.m. Forecasters are calling for snow showers before 10 p.m. and clouds after that.