Posted on 03/02/2007 8:22:44 AM PST by RDTF
The moon will turn shades of amber and crimson Saturday night as it passes behind the Earth's shadow in the first total lunar eclipse in three years.
The eclipse will be at least partly visible from Asia to the Americas, although those in Europe, Africa and the Middle East will have the best view.
Lunar eclipses occur when Earth passes between the sun and the moon, blocking the sun's light. The event is rare because the moon spends most of its time either above or below the plane of Earth's orbit.
Although it will pass completely under Earth's shadow, light from the sun will still reach the moon after being refracted through Earth's atmosphere, giving the moon an eerie dark reddish tinge.
"It's not an event that has any scientific value, but it's something everybody can enjoy," said Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Earth's shadow will begin moving across the moon at 3:18 p.m. EST Saturday, with the total eclipse occurring at 5:44 p.m. EST and lasting more than an hour.
Observers in eastern North America and South America will find the moon already partially or totally eclipsed by the time it rises over the horizon Saturday evening.
Alaska, eastern Australia and New Zealand will miss the show altogether.
The next total lunar eclipse will occur Aug. 28.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
ping!
Expected? What are the odds of it happening? 90%? 65%?
I think the last few eclipses in my neck of the woods, we had so much cloud cover, the eclipse wasn't visible. Hoping for clear or partly cloudy skies Saturday.
This will likely cause some murderous muslim rioting as the eclipse is obviously an insult to Mohammed in some way.
ROFL! Sad but true.
Good night to bomb Iran.
PING
Start spreading the rumor that mohammed is fake and to prove it the earth will hide the moon tonight.
that should do it.
When I was in boot camp, there was a total eclipse of the sun. It was March 7, 1970. They put us all inside. I remember it was a Saturday.
I remember a solar eclipse when I was a kid...and those funky boxes you had to use in order to "view" it. We had to make up those boxes in our science class. Mine was a disaster (never was mechanically inclined) -- so the teacher had to do it for me. LOL
But it was pretty neat...you got at least a fair idea of what the eclipse was like.
I was in Delhi, India for a total solar eclipse back in 1980 or so. There was a nationwide panic, with stories printed on the front page of every newspaper about the dire effects people could expect.
I went out with a bunch of my friends while the eclipse was going on, and there was not a person on the street. You have to have lived in a large Indian city to understand what an unusual thing that is. After years of never being anywhere where there were not at least a couple thousand people within view, to walk around the city with absolutely nobody around was profoundly shocking.
We climbed a water tower to see if we could see anybody around, but there was nobody at all. We were so fascinated by the lack of people on the street, we completely neglected to look at the eclipse, which was only partial in Delhi.
You must be in South Georgia. We are expecting C.L.O.U.Ds here (Cumulatively Local Observationally Undisireable Diplays). The local club will be out on the beach, hoping to see the Moon rise out of the sea in mid-eclipse. I'll post pictures if I can.
I thought the same thing. Must have been written by a weatherman.
I thought the same thing. Must have been written by a weatherman.
Yeah, I remember seeing one when I was in middle school. It was kind of bizarre to have twilight level light outside, but no sunset to go with it.
makes me think of that movie 'Ladyhawke'
Odds are essentially 100%. Visibility will be limited by local weather conditions. Last time there was a total lunar eclipse, the Red Sox won the American League championship. Could be an omen. (Actually, not true, but let's pretend.)
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