Don’t forget the lunar eclipse tonight
Cats: Uncategorized|Update: In the left margin are some shots of the red moon taken from my back yard around 11:30. Click on any shot and it will take you to my flickr page.
It starts at 8:43 pm Eastern Time. That’s 9:43 pm where I am. The skies are clear and my camera is set up on the tripod. Have fun. This is the last one till 2010.
Here is the deal from this website
The easy-to-watch event will play out in several stages as Earth’s shadow blocks sunlight from shining on the moon. Weather permitting, the eclipse will be visible from all locations in the United States, according to NASA. Along the Oregon and northern California coasts, the moon will rise during the early stages of the eclipse, however.
When to watch
Eclipses occur only at full moon when the sun, Earth and moon are in a perfect line. Because the moon’s orbit around Earth is not perfectly aligned with the plane of Earth’s orbit around the sun, eclipses do not occur at every full moon.
The moon will enter Earth’s umbral shadow (the full shadow) at 8:43 p.m. ET (that’s 7:43 p.m. Central, 6:43 p.m. Mountain and 5:43 p.m. Pacific) on Wednesday, Feb. 20. It will appear as though an ever-larger bite is being taken out of the moon.
Some 78 minutes later, the moon will slip into full eclipse. About 51 minutes later, a bright scallop will appear as the moon starts emerging. It will be completely out of the umbral shadow at 9:09 p.m. Pacific time, which is 12:09 a.m. ET on Thursday morning.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
I’m watching it right now. Thank goodness it’s a clear night.
February 20th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
I know, lori, isn’t it amazing!!! (I never use exclamation marks)
February 20th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Aaaahhhhh! I forgot about this! I meant to go look at it an hour ago. Have to go outside now, thanks for the reminder.
February 20th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
It’s so red! It’s fantastic!
February 20th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
I can’t see the moon from my apartment and it’s too cold to go outside…darn!
February 21st, 2008 at 8:47 am
Nice pictures!
February 21st, 2008 at 10:53 am
Couldn’t see a damn thing in London BoHo Great pics GT
February 21st, 2008 at 11:44 am
Barbara, glad you caught it.
Chelene, drag. But I’ve put some pix in the sidebar
Deepti, thanks
Tonardo, thanks. Was it cloudy in London? Or was the eclipse just not visible there?
February 21st, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Lunar eclipses are nothing special unless you have no idea what’s happening (ignorance is bliss). I prefer a beautiful sunrise or sunset.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I went out with a student to see the event. It was great and we thought it was something special.
February 21st, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Dick,
then call me ignorant because I found it very special. But then, I get excited about a full moon even when it’s not in eclipse. Apparently the red colour is a reflection of the sunsets on earth. That’s what I heard an astronomer say yesterday. It’s the rareness that makes it special.
Toccata, I wondered if it was dark enough to see in your neck of the woods.
February 21st, 2008 at 3:04 pm
It didn’t even occur to me to go watch it…not sure why. I am always very interested in the astrological effects of eclipses, as it’s powerful energy that has ramifications for months to come.
February 21st, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Rare like taxes! They happen about once every 2 years when observed from a fixed location.
I would never call you ignorant, even if it were true
Yes, special…that’s what I’ll call you.
February 21st, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Moxie, it was fantastic.
Dick, yes actually, I do feel ignorant sometimes – the more I read, the more ignorant I feel – but I’m ok with that. I sort of like it.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Those pictures are fantastic! I want to hire you to take pictures of my babby.
We were at the opera last night so we missed it.
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:01 am
I saw it when it was just a wee sliver – pretty cool.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:14 am
Espanya, no probs.
Does your baby go a reddish colour when the earth’s shadow passes over him?
BeckEye, even a wee sliver of the eclipse was cooler than the most of the boyz on AI
February 23rd, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I enjoyed seeing it unfold with several Project Runway breaks in between. I love it when the universe gets all freaky.