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Full Lunar Eclipse for the Americas on Wednesday
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."
I have an older brother who is a commercial pilot. Years ago flying commuters around the northeast he had a chance to see the Northern Lights on a very clear night. It was late flight and the cabin of the 1900 was half full. My brother put a request to the controller if he could do big S turns for a few minutes. With clearance accepted he then informed the passengers about the light display and that he was going to make slow turns for a few minutes so folks on both sides could get a good view.
Every one of the passengers debarking thanked him for providing an opportunity to see this amazing light show. If I was flying around the country Weds night I would hope my pilot would allow his or her passengers the chance to see this rare event.