Posted on 02/20/2008 3:36:23 PM PST by NormsRevenge
LOS ANGELES - The last total lunar eclipse until 2010 occurs Wednesday night, with cameo appearances by Saturn and the bright star Regulus on either side of the veiled full moon.
Skywatchers viewing through a telescope will have the added treat of seeing Saturn's handsome rings.
Weather permitting, the total eclipse can be seen from North and South America. People in Europe and Africa will be able to see it high in the sky before dawn on Thursday.
As the moonlight dims — it won't go totally dark — Saturn and Regulus will pop out and sandwich the moon. Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo.
Jack Horkheimer, host of the PBS show "Star Gazer," called the event "the moon, the lord of the rings and heart of the lion eclipse."
Wednesday's event will be the last total lunar eclipse until Dec. 20, 2010. Last year there were two.
The weather could be a spoiler for many in the United States. Cloudy skies are expected for most of the Western states with a chance of snow from the heartland to the East Coast, said Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service.
"It looks like it's going to be a hard one to spot," Seto said.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon passes into Earth's shadow and is blocked from the sun's rays that normally illuminate it. During an eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon line up, leaving a darkened moon visible to observers on the night side of the planet.
The moon doesn't go black because indirect sunlight still reaches it after passing through the Earth's atmosphere. Since the atmosphere filters out blue light, the indirect light that reaches the moon transforms it into a reddish or orange tinge, depending on how much dust and cloud cover are in the atmosphere at the time.
Wednesday's total eclipse phase will last nearly an hour. Earth's shadow is expected to blot out the moon beginning around 7 p.m. on the West Coast and 10 p.m. on the East Coast. West Coast skygazers will miss the start of the eclipse because it occurs before the moon rises.
Unlike solar eclipses which require protective eyewear, lunar eclipses are safe to view with the naked eye.
Later this year, in August, there will be a total solar eclipse and a partial lunar eclipse.
Clear here in Northern Kentucky. It doesn’t look very red while looking out my window. I do see a bright star to the left of the moon. Is that likely to be Saturn or Regulus?
The moon is beautiful here, a brownish cream color.
Two hours ago it shone bright as the sun.
I have a Meade DS-114 on an EQ mount. DS, as in "Department Store". It's crap, but it did get me interested enough to buy the big dob. The "auto goto" never worked right, and now the battery pack is busted. The eq mount doesn't have any manual gears, and the focuser is the older .965" size, so the 'scope is essentially useless. I suppose if if I bought another mount for it it would still be usable. I do have a nice eyepice or two for it, and a set of filters.
Anyway, I'm with you: too cold to drag the big 'scope out to the back yard tonight, so I've been using my big bino's, too.
Beautiful, clear views from Indiana.
Cloudy and sleet here in Virginia Beach, VA. Bummer.
Hope you looked out later . Just like the photo outside Ocean City at 10:30pm.
I’m going outside to take another look!
If I don’t some back, it might mean I was hit by space junk!
Thanks. I have to give another FReeper credit, though. He posted it in a thread and I laughed until I cried! So, like Obama, I plagiarized it for my own. Hmm...better tweak it so I don't get "Blaired".
That’s Saturn to the lower left. Regulus is above the moon.
We’ve got it in sight here in Ocean County, NJ. Clouds moved out just in time!
Same here MM. Looking out a large upstairs bedroom window with a bench seat every so often...just a few steps away from my computer. Saw a most magnificant sunset tonight with my view of the entire western skyline while FReeping. What a great view. Life is good.
Sky clear, and COLD!
7 degree Fahrenheit!
Great view from the Eastern High Sierra of California too!
Tonight? Nada. Low cloud cover with only a poopy dim glow where the moon should be.
Major disappointment, dang it all.
Leni
WOOOOOOHOOOOOO!
You have my sympathies! About 42 here in Seattle.
Been there, dun that. I grew up in Western NY, and remember those third-week-in-January things.
Brutal.
I told my kids about Columbus tonight as we watched. They finally gave up and went to bed. We had a pretty clear view from inside on our back porch. It was too darn cold to take the telescope outside. I made them draw about it in their nature notebooks. Nothing like having school at 9:30 PM! :0)
I keep going outside. Brrr. The plane taking off from Metro are annoying as ever. A couple went right through my line of vision with binoculars.
Where’s the space junk? Are we gonna be able to see that in Michigan?
Thank you for the link! What a wonderful visual explanation for the kids!
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