Total lunar eclipse to occur on Tuesday (North and South America and South Pacific viewable)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 8/26/07 | Colleen Slevin - ap

[NormsRevenge]

DENVER - The Earth's shadow will creep across the moon's surface early Tuesday, slowly eclipsing it and turning it shades of orange and red. The total lunar eclipse, the second this year, will be visible in North and South America, especially in the West. People in the Pacific islands, eastern Asia, Australia and New Zealand also will be able to view it if skies are clear.

People in Europe, Africa or the Middle East, who had the best view of the last total lunar eclipse in March, won't see this one because the moon will have set when the eclipse begins at 4:51 a.m. EDT. It will take an hour to reach full eclipse stage.

An eclipse occurs when Earth passes between the sun and the moon, blocking the sun's light. It's rare because the moon is usually either above or below the plane of Earth's orbit.

Since the Earth is bigger than the moon, the process of the Earth's shadow taking a bigger and bigger "bite" out of the moon, totally eclipsing it before the shadow recedes, lasts about 3 1/2 hours, said Doug Duncan, director of the University of Colorado's Fiske Planetarium. The total eclipse phase, in which the moon has an orange or reddish glow, lasts about 1 1/2 hours.

The full eclipse will be visible across the United States, but East Coast viewers will only have about a half-hour to see it before the sun begins to rise and the moon sets. Skywatchers in the West will get the full show.

In eastern Asia, the moon will rise in various stages of eclipse.

During the full eclipse, the moon won't be completely dark because some light still reaches it around the edges of the Earth. The light is refracted as it passes through our atmosphere, scattering blue light — which is why the sky is blue — but sending reddish light onto the moon.

"When someone asks why is it (the moon) red, you can say because the sky is blue," Duncan said.

The next total lunar eclipse occurs Feb. 21, 2008, and will be visible from the Americas, Europe and Asia.

[RayChuang88]

Just before I back to bed (around 3:40 am! ), the Moon was almost completely dark; you could barely see it in the sky.

[tubebender]

Just setting the alarm clock for 2AM was a sign of worse things happening to my experience. I starting hoping around midnight it would be foggy in Eureka so I could sleep through it but no such luck.

I dressed and grabbed my camera and went out on the deck to see it had already started. Another thing I had noticed around midnight was the moon was not illuminating the yard and neighbors pasture as brightly as the night before?

In spite of being coached by Glock on the settings on my new D80 Nikon my 60 years of exposure to all things mechanical I failed Glock and I failed my camera.

I finally put down the D80 and grabbed my 10 X 42 binoc and enjoyed the event fully because I knew someone like WSGilcrest would capture the moment.

[tubebender]

Tell me about your camera, settings and other equipment you were using to get those perfect shots

[paulat]

Awesome pics! I was out at a Seattle park, so wasn’t posting.

Thanks so much!

[glock rocks]

in post 28, he used 1/320 sec at f3.7, ISO 80 and -2EV at 72mm... and it’s a great shot. I watched the eclipse but didn’t break out the Nikon. Oh well... there will be other nights :o)

[SouthTexas]

Wife stayed up until 1:30 and never saw a thing. I, on the other hand, had heavily overcast eyelids and was unable to even try. :)

[tubebender]

Insomnia will cure that...

[SouthTexas]

Not a chance of that with the hours I've been working. :)

Did show her the shots WS took, they are great! Thanks.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Is that a “live” image of the moon?

[NormsRevenge]

Sweet!

Thanks for the great shots, WSG!!!

The moon glows orange during the lunar eclipse early Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007 seen next to the TransAmerican Pyramid in San Francisco. The moon's surface darkened as the earth's shadow moved across it to create a partial eclipse from just before 1:51am (PST) with the total eclipse visible one hour later. (AP Photo/San Francisico Chronicle, Frederick Larson)

[WSGilcrest]

Hi, tube.
My camera is a Sony DSC H2. (They’re up to the H9 now. I saw one in the store and drooled on it.)

This is the EXIF data for the first pic. I just increased the exposure time as the image got darker. Ended at 2.5Sec

Make : SONY
Model : DSC-H2
ExposureTime : 1/200Sec
FNumber : F5.6
ExposureProgram : Shutter Priority
ISOSpeedRatings : 80
ExifVersion : 0221
DateTimeOriginal : 2007:08:27 23:12:49
CompressedBitsPerPixel : 8/1 (bit/pixel)
ExposureBiasValue : EV-2.0
MaxApertureValue : F2.8
MeteringMode : Division
LightSource : Unidentified
Flash : Not fired(Compulsory)
FocalLength : 72.00(mm)
ExifImageWidth : 2816
ExifImageHeight : 2112
ExposureMode : Manual
WhiteBalance : Auto
SceneCaptureType : Standard
Contrast : Normal
Saturation : Normal
Sharpness : Normal

[WSGilcrest]

Was the EXIF still on the image I posted? I just downloaded a free EXIF reader from HERE so I wouldn't have to write all that down. I'm going out this weekend to either Antioch or Rio Vista and try to get a shot of an Iridium flare. Have you been to heavens-above.com

[Quix]

That Scripture sure comes to mind given the reddish hue.

Thanks.

[Quix]

Same here.

Thanks.

[Quix]

Same here.

Thanks.

[fish hawk]

Had a great full eclipse of the moon here last night on Maui. Between midnight and one AM was just fabulous. While I was out there I showed my daughter Andromeda Galaxy.

[tubebender]

The skies were clear over Eureka! I’m lovin this climate change gig...

[RightWhale]

The next total lunar eclipse occurs Feb. 21, 2008, and will be visible from the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Watch for this one. The Shuttle returns on Wednesday, then the eclipse, then they shoot up the satellite, or some order similar to that. Of course if Russia is bombing Kosovo we might forget to watch the eclipse.