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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. Visible in Europe, Africa too by ebcdic · · Score: 4, Informative

    It'll just a bit later in the night here.

    1. Re:Visible in Europe, Africa too by Smauler · · Score: 3, Informative

      Thanks for that - I'd just assumed it'd be in the Americas from what I read until your comment. If I'm really determined, I might go straight to bed when I get home on Tuesday, and try to wake up for 3am or so (I get up at 6 for work anyway), but I doubt that will happen. If anyone else in the UK (and most of western Europe) is interested, here's what I found out about times from Alpha Galileo :

      It begins at 0035 GMT when the Moon enters the lightest part of the Earth's shadow, the penumbra. Soon after the Moon will have a slight yellowish hue. At 0142 GMT the Moon starts to enter the dark core of the Earth's shadow, the umbra. At 0301 GMT the Moon will be completely within the umbra - the 'total' part of the eclipse has begun. This is the time when it should have an obvious red colour. Mid-eclipse is at 0326 GMT and the total phase ends at 0352 GMT. At 0509 GMT the Moon leaves the umbra and the eclipse ends when the Moon leaves the penumbra at 0617 GMT.
    2. Re:Visible in Europe, Africa too by pha95mlb · · Score: 2, Informative

      Exactly, the headline doesn't make that very clear does it? Basically it's visible anywhere where it's dark between 0300-0400 GMT.

  2. Re:can anyone give a real schedule? by Sparr0 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Reading comprehension FTW! It takes about 3 hours for the entire eclipse to pass, and the middle hour is the period of total eclipse, referred to in TFA as "Transiting the shadow's core".

  3. From TFA: by breem42 · · Score: 3, Informative

    > Editor's note: This story is written for an American audience, but not only
    > Americans can see the eclipse. People in Europe and western Africa are also
    > favored. International maps and timetables may be found here.

    --
    If the answer is war, you are asking the wrong question
  4. Re:Translation by tloh · · Score: 2, Informative

    Alas, the forecast thus far for the San Francisco Bay Area is currently "mostly cloudy" for Wednesday as well. However, should we get a lucky break with any moments of clear sky, the Astronomy department at City College of San Francisco will host anyone who care to venture to the roof of the Science Building for a view of the event. We'll have telescopes set up for folks who'd want a closer look at the craters and maria.

    The Science Building is at the main campus at 50 Phelan Avenue. It is the only one on the hill with a dome on the roof - you can't miss it. Don't be to startled at all the construction and landscaping work going on. It wouldn't affect your enjoyment of the moon.

    --
    Stay sentient. Don't drink bad milk.
  5. Re:can anyone give a real schedule? by value_added · · Score: 5, Informative
    (I know, meteorologists don't study meteors)

    Ah, but didja know why?

    http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/meteor

    The streaks of light we sometimes see in the night sky and call meteors were not identified as interplanetary rocks until the 19th century. Before then, the streaks of light were considered only one of a variety of atmospheric phenomena, all of which bore the name meteor. Rain was an aqueous meteor, winds and storms were airy meteors, and streaks of light in the sky were fiery meteors. This general use of meteor survives in our word meteorology, the study of the weather and atmospheric phenomena. Nowadays, astronomers use any of three words for rocks from interplanetary space, depending on their stage of descent to the Earth ...

    meteor
    1471, "any atmospheric phenomenon," from M.Fr. meteore (13c.), from M.L. meteorum (nom. meteora), from Gk. ta meteora "the celestial phenomena," pl. of meteoron, lit. "thing high up," neut. of meteoros (adj.) "high up," from meta- "over, beyond" (see meta-) + -aoros "lifted, hovering in air," related to aeirein "to raise" (see aorta). Specific sense of "fireball, shooting star" is attested from 1593. Atmospheric phenomena were formerly classified as aerial meteors (wind), aqueous meteors (rain, snow, hail), luminous meteors (aurora, rainbows), and igneous meteors (lightning, shooting stars). Meteoric in the figurative sense of "transiently brilliant" is from 1836.
  6. Clarification and Full Details by Genocaust · · Score: 5, Informative

    NASA has the scoop on everything, including pretty pictures and charts of when you can see what based on timezone :)

    --
    It could be that the only purpose of your life is to serve as a warning to others.
  7. Correction by FeebleOldMan · · Score: 3, Informative

    It will be the last TOTAL lunar eclipse until December 2010

    Plenty of eclipses before 2010, just not total ones.
  8. Re:Times are off by nightwraith22 · · Score: 5, Informative

    The eclipse lasts over 3 hours (8:43pm to 12:09am). It's totality, when the moon passes through the umbra (i.e. the core of the shadow as the summary quotes), that lasts for an hour lasts from 10pm to 11pm. More info on lunar eclipses at http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/LEprimer.html

  9. Photography suggestions by spaceyhackerlady · · Score: 4, Informative

    Use a long lens. A telescope is handy; 300mm will be about right to shoot the Moon rising through the trees or other scenery, as it will be doing here during the eclipse. Real closeups will need 1000 to 2000mm focal length.

    Bracket heavily. During the last good eclipse I shot from 1/2 to 10 seconds during totality at f/8.

    Enjoy. The weather forecast here (Vancouver) is not favourable. The eclipse last August was almost completely clouded out too. Sigh.

    ...laura

  10. Re:Better get ready... by meringuoid · · Score: 3, Informative
    What is this "sun" that you speak of?

    The sun is a mass of incandescent gas, it's a gigantic nuclear furnace where hydrogen is built into helium at a temperature of millions of degrees.

    --
    Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.