On the heels of last week's total solar eclipse, this Saturday night, August 16, there will be a partial lunar eclipse, visible in New England, South America, Africa, Europe, and parts of Asia. Sorry rest of the US, you don't get to see it.
Lunar eclipses often precede or follow solar eclipses because a solar eclipse requires the Earth, Moon, and Sun to be very precisely lined up, with the Moon in the middle. This precise condition doesn't last very long, maybe a couple weeks, but fortunately that's how long it takes for the Moon to go around to the other side, so we now have Moon, Earth, Sun.
I also mentioned this phenomena here, or you can Google on eclipse season or line of nodes for more info.
Showing posts with label lunar eclipse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lunar eclipse. Show all posts
12 August 2008
19 February 2008
Total Lunar Eclipse Weds Feb 20
I keep forgetting to mention, there's a total lunar eclipse tomorrow night, Weds Feb 20, 2008. It's got great visibility too: North America from Texas to the East Coast, all South America, West Africa, and Europe from Germany on West. It starts at around 8:43pm for those of us on the East Coast.
Here's what I recommend for a sane person to view it. Go out around 8:35pm (or the equivalent for your time zone) dressed warmly (layers - Bulky is Beautiful!), and bring a camera or tele if you have but it's not needed. Watch until you get cold (5-15 minutes). Go inside for 15 minutes to a half hour. Repeat until done, making sure to come out 5 minutes before the other times listed in this image for the most interesting parts to view.
Clear skies!
Here's what I recommend for a sane person to view it. Go out around 8:35pm (or the equivalent for your time zone) dressed warmly (layers - Bulky is Beautiful!), and bring a camera or tele if you have but it's not needed. Watch until you get cold (5-15 minutes). Go inside for 15 minutes to a half hour. Repeat until done, making sure to come out 5 minutes before the other times listed in this image for the most interesting parts to view.
Clear skies!
26 August 2007
Lunar Eclipse Tuesday
Tuesday night / Wednesday morning will be a total lunar eclipse - it starts a little before 5am (Eastern Daylight Savings Time), totality is around 6:30am, and it ends (theoretically) around 8:30am (more precise times and other time zones at the link above). It is visible in the America,s Australia, and Asia, but not in Europe or Africa; in the Eastern US unfortunately the moon will be setting during the eclipse, so you will not get to see all of it.
If you wish to watch it, I recommend dressing warmer than you think and using bug spray, and start out by going out around a half hour before it's supposed to start (so around 4:30am on the East Coast), watch till you get bored, and repeat every half hour. Binoculars or a low power telescope will enhance the experience, but is not required. If you wish to use a camera, set it on a tripod, open the shutter all the way, and bracket from 1/60s to 5s - use a soft release button or a timer to make sure you don't shake the camera when you trigger it. This APOD photo is an example of what you can do; in it, the Moon moved from bottom to top. Since the Moon will be setting for us and is usually towards the South, it will appear to move downwards, or to the right.
If you wish to watch it, I recommend dressing warmer than you think and using bug spray, and start out by going out around a half hour before it's supposed to start (so around 4:30am on the East Coast), watch till you get bored, and repeat every half hour. Binoculars or a low power telescope will enhance the experience, but is not required. If you wish to use a camera, set it on a tripod, open the shutter all the way, and bracket from 1/60s to 5s - use a soft release button or a timer to make sure you don't shake the camera when you trigger it. This APOD photo is an example of what you can do; in it, the Moon moved from bottom to top. Since the Moon will be setting for us and is usually towards the South, it will appear to move downwards, or to the right.
02 March 2007
Lunar Eclipse Saturday!
Saturday is a total lunar eclipse (pointed out to me by Sclerotic_Rings as usual).
Man, I just love these things! Notice how Saturday's lunar eclipse is followed in two weeks by a partial solar eclipse. Also note how that happens again later this year (six months later) in August/September. The reason? When the Earth-Moon-Sun are aligned just right for a part of the year (line of nodes, eclipse season), they may cross each others paths for a couple weeks before and after - this means that whenever there's a solar eclipse (at a New Moon), there's a good chance of a lunar one two weeks before or after (at the Full Moon). And if there's one set on a certain date, there's a good chance six months before or after, halfway around the Sun, that it might happen again.
More info on Wikipedia.
Man, I just love these things! Notice how Saturday's lunar eclipse is followed in two weeks by a partial solar eclipse. Also note how that happens again later this year (six months later) in August/September. The reason? When the Earth-Moon-Sun are aligned just right for a part of the year (line of nodes, eclipse season), they may cross each others paths for a couple weeks before and after - this means that whenever there's a solar eclipse (at a New Moon), there's a good chance of a lunar one two weeks before or after (at the Full Moon). And if there's one set on a certain date, there's a good chance six months before or after, halfway around the Sun, that it might happen again.
More info on Wikipedia.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
