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Full Lunar Eclipse for the Americas on Wednesday

Posted by Zonk on from the ooo-spooky dept.

KingArthur10 writes "It will be the last lunar eclipse until December 2010, and it should be spectacular. Shades of turquoise and red will pour over the moon's surface as it moves into the Earth's shadow around 8:43pm EST. As NASA reports: 'Transiting the shadow's core takes about an hour. The first hints of red appear around 10 pm EST (7 pm PST), heralding a profusion of coppery hues that roll across the Moon's surface enveloping every crater, mountain and moon rock, only to fade away again after 11 pm EST (8 pm PST). No special filter or telescope is required to see this spectacular event. It is a bright and leisurely display visible from cities and countryside alike. While you're watching, be alert for another color: turquoise. Observers of several recent lunar eclipses have reported a flash of turquoise bracketing the red of totality ... The source of the turquoise is ozone.' So, all of you amateur astronomers need to get out there and take pictures. It might be worthwhile sharing them on sites like SpaceWeather or Flickr so that our Asian, European, African, and Australian brethren can witness the sight as well."

12 of 87 comments (clear)

  1. Netcraft confirms it... by Daimanta · · Score: 4, Funny

    The moon is dying!

    --
    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
  2. Re:Turquoise? by Daimanta · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well, they are talking about Imperial turquoise. We, on the other hand, use metric turqoise.

    --
    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
  3. Better get ready... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yikes, that snuck up on me. I'd better start collecting them now if I want to have 100 virgins ready for the sacrifice.

    1. Re:Better get ready... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      well, you've certainly come to the right place to get them.

    2. Re:Better get ready... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hi there. I don't usually post but, as a Dark Malevolent Entity myself, I thought I'd clear a little something up.

      See, we Shapeless Horrors really, how do I put this delicately, well, we don't want your kind. You know, the whole living in mom's basement, pale and pimply, obese, comic book type virgin. Your souls really simply don't do it for us.

      I mean, sure, you meet the technical qualification of virginity, but there's just not the same flair in you guys as in, say, a young and beautiful maiden type virgin. That's what we Unspeakable Things from the World Beyond Sanity are looking for.

      If some schmuck sacrifices a hundred Slashdotters, do you think I'll actually appear before him, much less do him any favors? No. At best, I fart in his general direction, at worst, I dismember him out of spite. Believe me, low grade sacrifices are more common than you'd think.

      At first, it was fun to experiment with you geek types, but the heartburn afterwards just isn't worth it. Ever get indigestion from souls that haven't seen the sun in months? Not fun.

      Please, just keep this in mind this eclipse: If you plan on summoning me or any other Terrors from Outside the Realm of Human Comprehension, do us a favor and use only the highest grade virgin Anyway, I look forward to meeting and eating some of you.

      Warmest wishes,
      D. Cheney

    3. Re:Better get ready... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Its ok. You probably own my soul anyway. I really needed that new video card.

    4. Re:Better get ready... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Damn! You got a video card? I settled for extra free cheese on my pizza.

  4. Translation by Average_Joe_Sixpack · · Score: 3, Funny

    for those of us in the Northeast it will be raining

  5. The "IT" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... as the it moves into the Earth's shadow...
     
    Oh no! The IT has returned! It shall be moving into earth's shadow and then consume us all!!! First to go will be /. editor's who don't bother proofreading.

    1. Re:The "IT" by achurch · · Score: 3, Funny

      First to go will be /. editor's who don't bother proofreading.

      Followed in short order by anonymous cowards who don't bother proofreading.

  6. NASA's instuctions for lunar eclipse noobs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    From TFA:

    The Sun goes down. The Moon comes up. You go out and look at the sky. Observing the eclipse is that easy. Maximum eclipse, and maximum beauty, occurs at 10:26 pm EST (7:26 pm PST).

    Try not to fsck it up, noob! Okay?
  7. Re:can anyone give a real schedule? by Gunther+Maplethorpe · · Score: 3, Funny

    You guys schedule your storms? We Coloradoans need to get with the times; we still just wait for ours to happen sporadically.