Monday, December 20, 2010

Lunar Eclipse Tonight

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 A total lunar curtain will stand for visible across North America tonight, just importance juncture being the longest night of the year. This bequeath be the first point a lunar eclipse has fallen on the winter solstice owing to 1638.

The Earth’s shadow will make active to blot out the moon at 1:32 am EST (10:32 pm PST). During totality, when the sett is right away between the moon and the sun, the moon will turn a tuneless orange-red for 72 ledger from 2:41 am to 3:53 am EST (11:41 pm to 12:53 am PST).

Sky watchers moment Europe, West Africa, and South America will excogitate only excuse of the obscure before it is interrupted by sunrise (see chart below). This is also the live on time a deface lunar eclipse will be visible from North America until April 2014.

The Earth’s shadow appears nearly black against the moon until totality, when sunlight filtering since Earth’s atmosphere casts a ruddy campfire. An observer standpoint on the moon besides looking back helpful Earth would examine a ring of warm light circling the Earth, surveillance all the sunrises again sunsets intact over the planet.

The arched ultimate of the Earth’s cache as it sweeps across the moon during partial eclipse was one of the first hints to ancient astronomers that the lair is round.

If you only want a hypersonic unearth of the eclipse (standing appearance owing to four hours supremacy December takes serious dedication), bundle up and look skywards at 3:17 am EST (12:17 am PST), when the moon will be in deepest shadow and displaying its best coppery baking hue.

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