No, not THAT Eclipse…
http://www.dearastronomer.com/
Image Credit: Doug Murray
The night of Dec 20th/Early Morning of Dec. 21st marks a total Lunar eclipse, which weather permitting will be visible across North America. The eclipse “starts” at 12:30 PM EST (9:30PM PST), but you won’t really start to see anything until around 1:15 PM EST/ 10:15 PM PST.
East coast viewers may want to get up early instead of staying up late, as the eclipse will run from 1:30-5AM EST. To those who haven’t seen a lunar eclipse before, the moon will change color from orange, red, brown and possibly gray. Be sure to dress accordingly! Don’t worry if you have light to moderate cloud cover, as the moon can shine fairly well through light cloud cover.
After midnight, you can also celebrate the winter solstice, which marks the longest night of the year (and official start of winter).
NASA is celebrating the event with a number of activities, per their press release:
Astronomers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., will host a pair of live web chats to answer questions and help make the rare celestial experience one to remember. Marshall Center astronomer Rob Suggs will hold the first chat from 4 – 5 p.m. EST on Dec. 20 and discuss the best ways to view the eclipse. From 12 a.m. – 5 a.m., Marshall researcher Mitzi Adams will answer questions as the eclipse passes across the continental United States. A live video feed of the eclipse will be available on the chat site at: http://www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/lunar_eclipse.html
NASA has several pages set up several pages for the event:
If you’d like to learn more about the mechanics of a Lunar Eclipse, Georgia State University has a great page at: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solar/lunecl.html
Ray Sanders is a Sci-Fi geek, astronomer and blogger. Currently researching variable stars at Arizona State University, he writes for Universe Today, The Planetary Society blog, and his own blog, Dear Astronomer
2012-12-04 08:05:26
Source: http://www.dearastronomer.com/2010/12/20/no-not-that-eclipse/
Source:
