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OAKLAND (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ― Numerous Bay Area groups will offer the public a unique view of Wednesday's total lunar eclipse when the moon passes into the Earth's shadow.

Live at 7:35PM: Roberta Gonzales Webchat On Eclipse

Wednesday's total eclipse phase will last nearly an hour. The Earth's shadow is expected to blot out the moon beginning around 7 p.m. on the West Coast, with the moon reappearing in the sky at 7:52 p.m.

Eclispse watchers in the Bay Area should expect partly cloudy skies, according to CBS 5 weather forecaster Roberta Gonzales. "We will see the eclipse, but do not rule out passing clouds," she explained.

It will be the last total lunar eclipse until December 2010, with cameo appearances by Saturn and Regulus - the brightest star in the constellation Leo - on either side of the veiled full moon.

Skywatchers viewing through a telescope will have the added treat of seeing Saturn's handsome rings.

Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science will have telescopes in the plaza and amateur astronomers on hand to answer any questions from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Lawrence Hall of Science is located on Centennial Drive below Grizzly Peak. For more information on the free event, call (510) 642-5132 or go to http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org.

The Livermore Area Recreation and Park District invites people to take a peak at the eclipse through telescopes that will be set up at Sycamore Grove Park between 7 and 9 p.m.

The fee for the evening is $5 and there will be warm drinks available when it gets cold. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent. Registration is required by calling (925) 373-5705 or going to http://www.larpd.dst.ca.us.

Arc Ecology North Bay is holding an event called Moon Over Mare Island, which will take people to the Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve to view the eclipse from a hilltop vantage point from 6:30 to 9 p.m. with Rick Meleski and Arc Ecology's Volunteer North Bay Projects Manager Myrna
Hayes.

Anyone interested in the free event can meet at the preserve entrance at 6:30 p.m. to carpool to the top of the hill. For more information, call Hayes at (707) 249-9633.

Oakland's Chabot Space and Science Center will host an eclipse party from 5 to 8 p.m. that will include hands-on activities, live planetarium shows, an eclipse hike and viewing from the observatory deck.  More information can be found at http://www.chabotspace.org.

Advance reservations are required and tickets can be purchased by calling the Chabot box office at (510) 336-7373. Adult tickets are $10; youth, seniors and students pay $8 and members pay $5.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon passes into Earth's shadow and is blocked from the sun's rays that normally illuminate it.

During an eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon line up, leaving a darkened moon visible to observers on the night side of the planet.

The moon doesn't go black because indirect sunlight still reaches it after passing through the Earth's atmosphere. Since the atmosphere filters out blue light, the indirect light that reaches the moon transforms it into a reddish or orange tinge, depending on how much dust and cloud cover are in the atmosphere at the time.

Jack Horkheimer, host of the PBS show "Star Gazer," called the event "the moon, the lord of the rings and heart of the lion eclipse." 

Unlike solar eclipses which require protective eyewear, lunar eclipses are safe to view with the naked eye.

Later this year, in August, there will be a total solar eclipse and a partial lunar eclipse. Last year, there were two total lunar eclipses.

(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)