Lunar Eclipse Tonight (Dec 20-21)

[MovingTarget]

I know this isn't exactly politics, but it is news. Tonight there will be a total lunar eclipse. Hopefully those of us who can be awake at such hours will remember to look up and observe a marvel of nature. Enjoy.

Those of you who live in the North America* will be treated to a total lunar eclipse tomorrow night (Monday night/Tuesday morning)! The whole thing unfolds over about 3.5 hours, starting at 1:30 a.m. Eastern time.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/12/19/lunar-eclipse-monday-night/

The various stages, fully described:
1) Moon enters penumbra (12:29 a.m. EST/9:29 p.m. PST)
2) Penumbral shadow begins to appear (1:13 a.m. EST/10:13 p.m. PST)
3) Moon enters umbra (1:33 a.m. EST/10:33 p.m. PST)
4) 75 percent coverage (2:23 a.m. EST/11:23 p.m. EST) 5) Less than five minutes to totality (2:37 a.m. EST/11:37 p.m. PST)
6) Total eclipse begins (2:41 a.m. EST/11:41 p.m. PST
7) Middle of totality (3:17 a.m. EST/12:17 a.m. PST)
8) Total eclipse ends (3:53 a.m. EST/12:53 am. PST)
9) 75 percent coverage (4:10 a.m. EST/1:10 a.m. PST)
10) Moon leaves umbra (5:01 a.m. EST/2:01 a.m. PST)

11) Penumbra shadow fades away (5:20 a.m. EST/2:20 p.m. PST)
12) Moon leaves penumbra (6:04 a.m. EST/3:04 p.m. PST)

http://www.space.com/spacewatch/tot...eed:+spaceheadlines+(SPACE.com+Headline+Feed)

 

[Zorkorist]

I can't wait...

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=30951160#post30951160

-John

 

[MovingTarget]

Bump for the ATPN crowd. This is happening live.

 

[shira]

I'm visiting my sister in New Mexico. I just looked up outside at 12:49 local time (which SHOULD be within the totality interval), and the moon does look weird - much fainter than usual and with an orangish glow. But it's still completely visible. Center of totality is 26 minutes away as I write this, but at this point I'm not expecting a black sky where the moon used to be.

 

[trenchfoot]

Our Photography Group had a meet planned for this. Solid cloud cover over Hawaii...we had to cancel...bummers. However, the eclipse three years ago was great from out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The Big Island group is having a great time above the clouds at Mauna Kea, along with projected snow coming.

 

[shira]

So, I guess the Earth's atmosphere scatters enough light from the sun that longer (reddish) wavelengths still reach the moon, even at "totality." It's certainly a spooky-looking moon out right now, but it lacks the "wow!" factor of a total solar eclipse.

 

[Kadarin]

Watched part of it, but clouds came in before totality. Bummer.

 

[Moonbeam]

It was cool

 

[Lemon law]

Well, I am no where near Hawaii, but in the mid-West, all that could be seen was clouds, clouds, and snowflakes. Oh well, next chance will be in 2011. But it won't be visible in the USA.

But no sour grapes from me, for those lucky enough to see it live, it had to be worth watching. Sure I can watch photo's, but actually watching first hand trumps second hand.

 

[KIAman]

Saw most of it with perfectly clear sky. It was pretty cool show and the moon turned all dark brown/orange in color. The other amazing thing was noticing how many stars were showing without the light of the moon.

 

[hal2kilo]

It was cool

He lives.