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Cast your eyes skyward very early tomorrow morning and you’ll likely get a spectacular view of a celestial phenomenon.

And, no, it’s not the shadow of a jolly old elf, drawn in a sleigh across the moon-lit skies by flying reindeer.

Instead, the moon itself is the star, as it passes through earth’s shadow, creating a full lunar eclipse that, depending on the cloud cover, should be clearly visible across southwestern Connecticut, as well as the rest of North and South America.

The eclipse will start about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday in most of the Eastern Standard Time zone, according to most astronomical websites, and last until about 5 a.m. — with the “total” phase, or darkest full shadow, from 2:40 to 3:50 a.m.

The shadow is expected to be a particularly deep orange, or red, because of particles in the atmosphere, including volcanic ash.

The “MrEclipse” website has lots of info on the lunar eclipse here, and this site has a cool animation and graphics on what you can expect to see.

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One more day.

That extra daily parking in Lot 8 at the Saugatuck Railroad Station in Westport for the last few weeks is scheduled to come to an end tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 17.

In early November, officials mailed 150 permit applications for the spots, with a return date of Nov. 30. But a a new round of permit applications was mailed earlier this month,  continuing until the target number of 150 new permits has been issued.

That process is set to end Friday.  Questions?  Call the railroad parking office at 203-341-6052.

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The CTWorks Career Coach will be at Westport Town Hall on Thursday.

The coach will be offering a beginner’s class in 2003 Microsoft PowerPoint from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by an intermediate class in 2003 Microsoft PowerPoint from 1 to 3 p.m.

The Career Coach is a training center tour bus equipped with 10 wireless computer labs offering free computer classes to residents in the greater Norwalk area. The mobile unit operates on a monthly schedule of visits to community locations and is accessible to people with disabilities.

Area residents interested in registering should contact the Westport Department of Human Services at 203-341-1050 or via e-mail at humansrv@westportct.gov.

For more information, including the current Career Coach schedule, visit  www.ctworkssw.org.

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“The Usual Suspects,” the Westport Library’s mystery reading group, takes up the classic, “The 39 Steps,” this coming Sunday.

It’s the 1915 thriller by John Buchan that has inspired several stage and screen adaptations, including a memorable version by Alfred Hitchcock.

The “Suspects” meet at 2 p.m. in the library’s seminar room.

New members are welcome in the discussion group.

For copies of “The 39 Steps,” call 203-291-4821.

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A family-friendly reception from 6 to 8 p.m. today will open the new exhibition “Kid Kulture” at the Westport Arts Center, 51 Riverside Ave.

“Kid Kulture,” which runs through Feb. 20, will explore the spirit of children through the lenses of 20th-century photographers, such as August Sander, Arthur Leipzig, Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin.

In addition, the exhibit will include a selection of 41 juried photographs of children taken by children from Fairfield, Litchfield and New Haven counties.

The WAC also will feature, in its Studio Gallery space, the work of Carson Einarsen, a 16-year-old junior at Staples High School, who will exhibit pieces of his 365-day project, “facebook fACEs.” Each day, Einarsen draws a five- to 10-minute sketch from a profile photo of one of his Facebook friends. He has created more than 130.

Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

Christmas and New Year’s holiday hours can be found at www.westportartscenter.org.

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Shoppers will be treated to two hours of holiday music performed by young singers and musicians Saturday at the Barnes & Noble store in Westport.

The young perfomers from Fairfield — the Tomlinson Middle School Chamber and Flute choirs and the Fairfield Ludlowe High School’s A Cappella Group — will entertain starting at 11:30 a.m. at the book store, 1076 Post Road, Westport.

Customers who mention that they are shopping for Tomlinson when they check out at the main registers or the café will help raise funds for the school.

The chamber choir will perform from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.; the a cappella group will take center stage from 12:15 to 1 p.m.; and the flute choir will end the event, playing from 1 to 1:30 p.m.

Tomlinson’s chamber choir and Ludlowe’s a cappella group are led by teacher Sara Mastrony and the flute choir is headed by Carla Strauss.

Additionally, authors Barbara R. Greenberg and Jennifer A. Powell-Lunder will be present to talk about their book, “Teenage as a Second Language: A Parent’s Guide to Becoming Bilingual.”

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Westport Group 79, a member of Amnesty International, the worldwide human-rights organization, will host its annual Holiday Action party from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the Seminar Room of the Westport Public Library, 20 Jesup St.

Attendees will send holiday cards to human-rights defenders around the world. Refreshments will be available.

For more information, e-mail dorothyrich@sbcglobal.net.