Total Lunar Eclipse: Thursday 5/15/2003; 9:00 PM EST

Discover magazine, National Geographic ^ | 5/13/2003 | Self

[Robert A Cook PE]

A total lunar eclipse should be brilliantly visible against the full moon on early Thursday evening, May 15th. Since most of the storms seem to have blown past, let's hope the skies will be clear and not covered up.

Homeschoolers should take advantage of this (early evening) eclipse time to get some dramatic "free science homework credit" by spending a few minutes outside watching the moom suddenly "almost vanish" in an orange glow of reflected earthlight.

[montag813]

Here is the Eclipse at 11:05 PM from my roof deck in Chelsea, NYC... (and the MetLife building)

 

[katnip]

Oooohhhh, I am so jealous.

Beautiful!

[txhurl]

Precisely 20 mins ago my nephew fell off our roof (trying for view) and now he's en route for stitches and the clouds obscured the eclipse, anyway.......

[IYAAYAS]

I'm in Ft. Lauderdale and it is beautiful. My wife and I have been sitting out by the pool with a few beers watching. It's partly cloudy, maybe 20% cloud blockage, but they float by quickly so you don't miss anything. The moon is about 40 degrees so it's quite a comfortable lawn-chair angle. I was hoping for the red color but not this time.

Not trying to rub it in, just passing a first hand report.

[montag813]

Oooohhhh, I am so jealous. Beautiful!

Cloudy now, so I can't see the total. They say it may look "copper". If I get any pics of it I will post.

[NormsRevenge]

Moon just cleared the hills here(South Bay Area) and it's about a 2/3's obscured orangeish crescent.

[KDRaiderofthenight]

True, but there is always one side hidden from our view, and if knowledge is your light, then it would seem pretty dark to me.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Blast!

Hope he recovers ok.

Raining now down here ....

[derlauerer]

Clear here (west of Atlanta) until mid-eclipse .... now low clouds and fog rolling in.

Hope the rest of you guys get better luck.

Interesting...here in Peachtree City (about 25 miles southwest of Atlanta), the clouds cleared at about 11:00, just in time for totality. At maximum darkness, around 11:40, the moon, viewed through 10X50 binoculars was a dull grey with no hint of redness (well, maybe just a touch of pale orange) - about the colour of pumice.

It's beginning to re-emerge now.

[Pagey]

Here in L.A., it is really beautiful at 9:33 P.S.T. It's been unravelling since about 8:00. It's really nice to not have to wear glasses or anything to view it. I'm sitting in my Living room chair,windows wide open and it is glorious and going on much longer than I had planned for.

[Davea]

Bay Area here. Very impressive. God does some pretty neat stuff!

[Carolina]

Fri May 16,12:23 AM ET

The moon is seen over Archer, Fla., at11:55 p.m., Thursday, May 15, 2003, as the full moon passed through the shadow of the earth. An unidentified light can be seen at the bottom of the planet. The last eclipse seen from Florida was January 2000. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin)

Am I reading this right? AP is showing a picture of the moon yet the caption talks about the light at the bottom of the "planet."

[Pagey]

God does some pretty neat stuff!

I've been thinking the same thing. Also, what on earth could the Indians and Eskimos think was occurring, when these things happened 8-10,000 years ago.I've been pondering that too.