Winter Solstice & Total Lunar Eclipse Coincide For First Time In 372 Years, But OC Won't See It

By Chasen Marshall Mon., Dec. 20 2010 at 5:17 PM

Categories: Main, To Do Tonight

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Going, going, gone.

There's an extremely rare, celestial happening tonight. It's the only time the winter solstice and a lunar eclipse will happen on the same night in our lifetime--so rare, in fact, that it didn't even happen between now and our great-great-great grandparents lifetime--and we almost certainly don't have a chance of seeing it.

Thanks, Mother Nature, you backstabbing biotch! How many other years did California sit in drought-mode, with barely a sprinkle from you and then the one time when some super rare sighting is possible, you cover us with eight days of cloud cover and downpour? Not cool, not at all.

What's that saying about a tree in the woods, or whatever?

NASA scientists say it's happening, and no one wants to mess with NASA (except for PETA, but that's completely unrelated). Supposedly the rest of the world (except for Asia and and Oceania) should be able to see it, so check their Twitter accounts in the morning.

The happening should be visible--if by some miracle of Zeus the rains stop and the clouds part--right around midnight and will take nearly three and half hours to complete. If that unlikely turn in weather occurs, find the highest point you can, be sure there aren't many lights around and enjoy.

The weather change won't happen, but it's a nice pretty picture.

NASA reports that the last time an eclipse happened on the eve of a solstice was Dec. 21, 1638, and won't happen again until 2094. So, in case you miss out on the super-rare on-goings tonight, be sure to have your kids or grandkids note the future date on their calendars.

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