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Lunar Eclipse Next Tuesday Morning
Raver32 writes "Tuesday morning, Aug. 28 brings us the second total lunar eclipse of 2007. Those living in the Western Hemisphere and eastern Asia will be able to partake in at least some of this sky show.
The very best viewing region for viewing this eclipse will fall across the Pacific Rim, including the West Coast of the United States and Canada, as well as Alaska, Hawaii, New Zealand and eastern Australia. All these places will be able to see the complete eclipse from start to finish.
Europeans will miss out on the entire show, as the Moon will be below the horizon during their mid and late morning hours."
Remember to wear the proper lunar eclipse eye protection, you wouldn't want your eyes burnt out by the terrible blinding light of the eclipsed moon.
Finally, I can emerge from the basement and be truly safe from the destructive natural light!
~S
I made two video simulations of the eclipse - on as it would be seen from Burning Man (which is happening next week, 2 hours northeast of Reno, Nevada) and one with the vantage point being the moon itself. Videos were made using Starry Night Pro (on a Mac, of course!)
Video 1: As it will be from Burning Man
Video 2: If you were on the moon
Both are H264, no sound.
It amazes me that so many allegedly "educated" people have fallen so quickly and so hard for a fraudulent fabrication of such laughable proportions. The very idea that a gigantic ball of rock happens to orbit our planet, showing itself in neat, four-week cycles -- with the same side facing us all the time -- is ludicrous. Furthermore, it is an insult to common sense and a damnable affront to intellectual honesty and integrity. That people actually believe it is evidence that the liberals have wrested the last vestiges of control of our public school system from decent, God-fearing Americans (as if any further evidence was needed! Daddy's Roommate? God Almighty!)
.. the next time you're out in the backyard exercising your Second Amendment rights, the liberals will see it! These satellites are sensitive enough to tell the difference between a Colt .45 and a .38 Special! And when they detect you with a firearm, their computers cross-reference the address to figure out your name, and then an enormous database housed at Berkeley is updated with information about you.
Documentaries such as Enemy of the State have accurately portrayed the elaborate, byzantine network of surveillance satellites that the liberals have sent into space to spy on law-abiding Americans. Equipped with technology developed by Handgun Control, Inc., these satellites have the ability to detect firearms from hundreds of kilometers up. That's right, neighbors
Of course, this all works fine during the day, but what about at night? Even the liberals can't control the rotation of the Earth to prevent nightfall from setting in (only Joshua was able to ask for that particular favor!) That's where the "moon" comes in. Powered by nuclear reactors, the "moon" is nothing more than an enormous balloon, emitting trillions of candlepower of gun-revealing light. Piloted by key members of the liberal community, the "moon" is strategically moved across the country, pointing out those who dare to make use of their God-given rights at night!
Yes, I know this probably sounds paranoid and preposterous, but consider this. Despite what the revisionist historians tell you, there is no mention of the "moon" anywhere in literature or historical documents -- anywhere -- before 1950. That is when it was initially launched. When President Josef Kennedy, at the State of the Union address, proclaimed "We choose to go to the moon", he may as well have said "We choose to go to the weather balloon." The subsequent faking of a "moon" landing on national TV was the first step in a long history of the erosion of our constitutional rights by leftists in this country. No longer can we hide from our government when the sun goes down.
"Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
This is not a solar eclipse. In a solar eclipse, the Moon stands directly between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the view of the Sun. Whereas in a lunar eclipse, the Sun stands directly between the Earth and the Moon, blocking your view of the Moon.
Which also means it's going to be very, very, hot on Tuesday morning.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
Yes, outdoors.
There is better coverage of this eclipse and others at NASA's eclipse page.
Preventive War is like committing suicide for fear of death. - Otto Von Bismarck
The March eclipse was over by moonrise here, but I will be in good shape for the August one. Except that totality is around 0300 local time. :-(
It's quite the show watching Earth's shadow creep across the moon, with the colour contrast betwen the greyish-white moon and Earth's copper-coloured shadow. And, unlike a solar eclipse, you can take your time. The last couple of lunar eclipses here have been relatively bright. The one I saw from Toronto in 2000 was dark, with the moon replaced by this dark, burned-out ash thing in the sky. Quite the sight!
I've only seen one total solar eclipse (29 March 2006, from Turkey). Unlike lunar eclipses, something deep inside us freaks out when the sun goes out during the day. It rattled us, and we knew what was happening; it must have scared the crap out of our ancestors.
...laura