Tomorrow's total eclipse of the moon will be visible across the country, starting at 8:43 p.m. EST.
In the East, the spectacle will take place relatively high in the sky while, in the West, the moon will be low on the horizon as it begins to move into Earth's shadow.
WHERE IT'S VISIBLE: Most of North America, all of South America, plus Western Europe and West Africa will be able to see the lunar eclipse in its entirety.
HOW IT HAPPENS: A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes entirely through the Earth's shadow.
UMBRA: Direct sunlight is completely blocked within Earth's inner shadow.
ATMOSPHERIC REFRACTION: A thin sliver of sunlight, filtered and bent by the Earth's atmosphere, gives the moon a reddish glow.
HOW IT WILL UNFOLD: Tomorrow's will be the last eclipse visible from Canada for almost three years.
The next one will be Dec. 20, 2010.
THE LATE SHOW: The lunar eclipse will last about three hours and 26 minutes.
The moon will be completely immersed within the Earth's dark umbral shadow for just under 50 minutes.
Wednesday night (Feb 20), skywatchers across Canada will be treated to an astronomical spectacle - a total eclipse of the moon. The long shadow of the Earth will sweep across the full moon and transform the normally bright lunar surface into an eerie red or rusty brown colour. For a lunar eclipse to occur, the Earth must be precisely aligned between the sun and the moon in order to block the solar rays from striking the lunar surface. Provided the weather is good and the skies are clear, it promises to be an awesome sight. Anyone who is interested in this kind of phenomenon, should definitely make the effort to take at least a peek! I know I'll be one of the spectators for certain.
sources: NASA, space.com, sky & telescope, terence dickenson
2 comments:
Holy crap. This should give Chad a reason to finally put our telescope together.
Just one things to add - the moon rise starts at 8:42, but the moon 'totality', that is when the moon is in complete shadow and changes its appearance, will begin roughly between 10:00 pm to 10:51 pm - that is the best time to see the full eclipse at its peak.
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