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A rare, total eclipse of the moon will be visible this Sunday and the L.A. Philharmonic will provide a live score for a special viewing party.
From 7:11 p.m. to 8:23 p.m. on Sunday, stargazers will be treated to what some astronomers refer to as a "supermoon lunar eclipse" and what others have awesomely named a "super blood moon eclipse," reports the L.A. Times. The rare event will be a combination of three factors: a full moon, a total lunar eclipse—when the earth comes directly between the moon and the sun—and the moon at its closest point to Earth during its orbit, giving it its giant "supermoon" quality. During the event, the moon also may have a coppery or red coloring, which is where it gets its "blood" nickname. The next time all of that happens at the same time again won't be until 2033. And the next lunar eclipse won't be visible in California until 2018.
And while you could check out this crazy celestial event from just about anywhere—though, ideally from a dark location—there will be a couple of special viewing parties where you can join others for the occasion.
The Griffith Observatory will be hosting a Star Party beginning on Sunday around 2 p.m. There will be telescopes in place along the lawn for the public to use throughout the course of the evening. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., pianist Ray Ushikubo will play Beethoven sonatas on the lawn for the crowds as part of the L.A. Phil's "Immortal Beethoven" program. The moon will rise around 6:45 p.m., and Ushikubo will continue playing until 9:45 p.m. Visitors can observe the eclipse through the telescopes or just by looking with the naked eye.
There will also be another viewing party at UC Riverside in Parking Lot 30, Section 3 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Those who can't make the viewing parties can also see the event live-streaming from the Griffith Observatory's Zeiss telescope, as well as from the Slooh Community Observatory.
