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Explanation: What's that dark spot on planet Earth? It's the shadow of the Moon. The above image of Earth was taken last week by MTSAT during an annular eclipse of the Sun. The dark spot appears quite unusual as clouds are white and the oceans are blue in this color corrected image. Earthlings residing within the dark spot would see part of the Sun blocked by the Moon and so receive less sunlight than normal. The spot moved across the Earth at nearly 2,000 kilometers per hour, giving many viewers less than two hours to see a partially eclipsed Sun....

Explanation: Have you contemplated your home star recently? Pictured above, a Sun partially eclipsed on the top left by the Moon is also seen eclipsed by earthlings contemplating the eclipse below. The above menagerie of silhouettes was taken from the Glenn Canyon National Recreational Area near Page, Arizona, USA, where park rangers and astronomers expounded on the unusual event to interested gatherers. Also faintly visible on the Sun's disk, just to the lower right of the dark Moon's disk, is a group of sunspots. Although exciting, some consider this event a warm-up act for next week's chance to comtemplate the...

Explanation: It was a typical Texas sunset except that most of the Sun was missing. The location of the missing piece of the Sun was not a mystery -- it was behind the Moon. Sunday night's partial eclipse of the Sun by the Moon turned into one of the best photographed astronomical events in history. Gallery after online gallery is posting just one amazing eclipse image after another. Pictured above is possibly one of the more interesting posted images -- a partially eclipsed Sun setting in a reddened sky behind brush and a windmill. The image was taken Sunday night...

Explanation: What's happened to the setting Sun? An eclipse! In early 2009, the Moon eclipsed part of the Sun as visible from parts of Africa, Australia, and Asia. In particular the above image, taken from the Mall of Asia seawall, caught a partially eclipsed Sun setting over Manila Bay in the Philippines. Piers are visible in silhouette in the foreground. Eclipse chasers and well placed sky enthusiasts captured many other interesting and artistic images of the year's only annular solar eclipse, including movies, eclipse shadow arrays, and rings of fire. Today parts of the Sun again will become briefly blocked...

WDoomsday, schmoomsday. Why settle for dusty ol' Mayan calendars and 12/12/12 apocalyptic visions, when 2012 has been offering up so many stellar—and planetary—sightings? We Earthlings have already been treated to nice meteor showers as well as a magnificent supermoon, and this weekend brings an annular solar eclipse. ~snip~ That's not even the best treat: Venus will be ambling between Earth and the sun in a rare (though non-earth-shattering) planetary alignment. ~snip~ A solar eclipse happens this Sunday, except for the Eastern seaboard (sorry). It's an "annular" eclipse rather than a total one, which means the sun's edges peek out from...

Explanation: Tomorrow, May 20, the Moon's shadow will race across planet Earth. Observers within the 240-300 kilometer wide shadow track will be able to witness an annular solar eclipse as the Moon's apparent size is presently too small to completely cover the Sun. Heading east over a period of 3.5 hours, the shadow path will begin in southern China, cross the northern Pacific, and reach well into North America, crossing the US west coast in southern Oregon and northern California. Along the route, Tokyo residents will be just 10 kilometers north of the path's center line. Of course a partial...

The sun is the epitome of contrast: When the sun rises or sets, it's the "difference between night and day." Night is banished at daybreak and re-established soon after the sun sets. At least, that's usually the case. Every 18 months or so and always on a new moon, there is somewhere on the planet where the sun becomes totally eclipsed when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth. There can be multiple, up to five, solar eclipses in a year -- though a total eclipse only recurs on any specific point on Earth every 360 or 410...

Explanation: Tomorrow, December 10, the Full Moon will slide through planet Earth's shadow in a total lunar eclipse. The entire eclipse sequence, including 51 minutes of totality, will be visible from Asia and Australia, but moonwatchers in Europe and Africa will miss out on the beginning partial phases because for them, the eclipse will start before moonrise. In central and western North America the earlier phases of the eclipse will be in progress as the Moon sets. In fact, while those in the east will miss out, North Americans far enough west could see a scene very much like this...

Time to start making your vacation plans. On August 21, 2017 a total eclipse of the sun is going to traverse the entire length of the continental United States, from Oregon to South Carolina. Kentucky will have the longest view, with totality as long as three minutes. And astronomers are already thinking of ways to harness the help of the American people in observing this event.

“Now when did Odysseus return to Penelope? The date is given with a precision most unusual in epic poetry.” "Because the lines describing the alleged eclipse are considered suspect, we shall use other passages in the Odyssey to shed some light on the issue, without assuming an eclipse. Given an interpretation of certain passages in the Odyssey as describing astronomical phenomena, we will look for dates in which the phenomena match. We shall find that the most likely day matching these other phenomena is 16 April 1178 B.C., suggesting there may be corroborating information in the epic for the eclipse...

SYDNEY (AP) — Asian and African night owls were treated to a lunar eclipse, and ash in the atmosphere from a Chilean volcano turned it blood red for some viewers. The Sydney Observatory said the eclipse was to begin at 3:25 a.m. Thursday (1:25 p.m. EDT, 5:25 p.m. GMT Wednesday) and last until after 5 a.m. Scientists said the specific phenomenon happening Thursday — known as a "deep lunar eclipse" — often exudes a coppery color. But the intensity of the color depends on the amount of ash and dust in the atmosphere. Luckily for moon-gazers, there was plenty of...

New research suggests that this coin marks an eclipse of Jupiter by the moon. It happened on January 17, 121 BC and was visible in Antioch, the capital of the Seleucid Empire. The coin itself show Zeus with a crescent moon above his head and a star like object hovering above the palm of his right hand... On one side is a portrait of Antiochos VIII, the king who minted it. On the reverse is a depiction of Zeus, either nude or half-draped, holding a sceptre in his left hand. Above the god's head is the crescent of the moon,...

French photographer Thierry Legault knew he had .86 seconds to get the shot. He'd flown to the Sultanate of Oman for the perfect vantage point. January 4th that part of the world saw a partial solar eclipse, but Legault, who's a veteran astrophotographer, didn't want just a spectacular shot of the moon crossing in front of the sun. No, he wanted to capture that millisecond moment when the moon and the International Space Station eclipsed the sun at the same time. He explained the logistics of getting the shot to us:

QUADRANTID METEOR ALERT: Earth is about to pass through a narrow stream of debris from shattered comet 2003 EH1, source of the annual Quadrantid meteor shower. "Peaking in the wee morning hours of Tuesday, Jan. 4, the Quads have a maximum rate of about 100 per hour (varies between 60 and 200)," says Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. "What makes this year so special is that the Moon is New on the night of the peak, so there will be no interference from moonlight." PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE: After the meteor shower, observers in Europe, northern Africa, the Middle...

Oh, what an exciting week this is! Because we're almost to (forgive the expression) Christmas, you say? Bah! Humbug! Don't say the "C" word! No, the big deal in DUmmieland this week is the Winter Solstice! PLUS a lunar eclipse on top of it! MUCH bigger deal than the birth of the Savior of the world! This is further proof of my long-held thesis that the primary factor motivating the DUmmies is their burning HATRED of Christianity! So anything that is seen as an ALTERNATIVE to Christianity is widely hailed. Thus the celebration of the Winter Solstice, as a...

A total lunar eclipse on Monday evening coincided with the arrival of the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere for the first time since 1638, casting a shadow on the earth for a full 72 minutes. This picture shows the lunar eclipse above the Teide volcano in the Teide National Park on Tenerife, one of the Spanish Canary Islands.

Last night presented an ultra-rare treat for astronomy buffs: Not only was there a total lunar eclipse beginning at about 12:30am EST, but the eclipse coincided with the arrival of the winter solstice for the first time in 372 years. Shooting from Gainesville, Florida, William Castleman created the above time-lapse video of last night’s eclipse, condensing the lunar action from 1:10 AM EST to 5:03 AM EST into 2 minutes.

Shadows have started.... http://www.ustream.tv/channel/observing-the-planets

Here in New York, anyway. Looks like a hazy sky.

Break out the flashlights. When a full lunar eclipse takes place on the shortest day of the year, the planet may just get awfully dark. The upcoming Dec. 21 full moon -- besides distinguishing itself from the others in 2010 by undergoing a total eclipse -- will also take place on the same date as the solstice (the winter solstice if you live north of the equator, and the summer solstice if you live to the south). Winter solstice is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and marks the official beginning of winter. The sun is...

For a few hours on the night of Dec. 20 to Dec. 21, the attention of tens of millions of people will be drawn skyward, where the mottled, coppery globe of our moon will hang completely immersed in the long, tapering cone of shadow cast out into space by our Earth. If the weather is clear, favorably placed skywatchers will have a view of one of nature's most beautiful spectacles: a total eclipse of the moon. Unlike a total eclipse of the sun, which is only visible to those in the path of totality, eclipses of the moon can usually...

OTTAWA — This year's winter solstice — an event that will occur next Tuesday — will coincide with a full lunar eclipse in a union that hasn't been seen in 456 years. The celestial eccentricity holds special significance for spiritualities that tap into the energy of the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year and a time that is associated with the rebirth of the sun. "It's a ritual of transformation from darkness into light," says Nicole Cooper, a high priestess at Toronto's Wiccan Church of Canada. "It's the idea that when things seem really bleak, (it) is often...

Dec. 17, 2010: Everyone knows that "the moon on the breast of new-fallen snow gives the luster of mid-day to objects below." That is, except during a lunar eclipse. See for yourself on Dec. 21st, the first day of northern winter, when the full Moon passes almost dead-center through Earth's shadow. For 72 minutes of eerie totality, an amber light will play across the snows of North America, throwing landscapes into an unusual state of ruddy shadow. The eclipse begins on Tuesday morning, Dec. 21st, at 1:33 am EST (Monday, Dec. 20th, at 10:33 pm PST). At that time, Earth's...

Skywatchers, grab your blankets. December's night sky spectacular will feature the best meteor shower of 2010 as well as the only total lunar eclipse of the year -- sights that should outshine any New Year's Eve fireworks display in terms of sheer wonder. The massive Geminid meteor shower returns every year, so you'll have more chances if the cold proves too daunting on the night of Dec. 13. But anyone in North America who skips the total lunar eclipse on the night of Dec. 20 will be missing what promises to be the best lunar eclipse show until April...

Yes. I know it’s a vampire flick. Even worse-it’s a teen romance vampire flick. This information alone could induce some level of nausea. As a general rule, I request that my teens stay clear of anything that smells of wickedness. So you can imagine my daughters’ initial surprise when I invited them to go see the first Twilight movie with me. When they discovered my ulterior motive, they weren’t surprised a bit, and they loved it. Eclipse just came out last weekend. It is the third installment of the Twilight saga. In the traditions of J.R.R. Tolken and C.S. Lewis,...

A group of astronomers are now on the mysterious Easter Island, one of the few solid places to stand on Earth where a total solar eclipse will be visible on July 11, 2010. The majority of the eclipse's path is over the ocean, so this will be one of the least observed eclipses ever. "This is one of the most interesting things that is possible for anyone on Earth to see in one of the most interesting places on the Earth that people can go," said Jay Pasachoff from Williams College, who is the Chair of the International Astronomical Union's...

On Sunday, 2010 July 11, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses Earth's southern Hemisphere. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow crosses the South Pacific Ocean where it makes no landfall except for Mangaia (Cook Islands) and Easter Island (Isla de Pascua). The path of totality ends just after reaching southern Chile and Argentina. The Moon's penumbral shadow produces a partial eclipse visible from a much larger region covering the South Pacific and southern South America...

This Saturday morning, June 26th, there's going to be a lunar eclipse—and for many residents of the USA, it's going to be a big one. The eclipse begins at 3:17 am PDT (10:17 UT) when the Moon enters the sunset-colored shadow of Earth. By 4:38 am PDT (11:38 UT), the moment of greatest eclipse, 54% of the Moon's diameter will be covered. From beginning to end, the event lasts almost three hours. In Addition: A solar wind stream flowing from the indicated coronal hole could reach Earth as early as June 26th.

The first reference found outside of the bible mentioning this darkness which fell over the land during the crucifixion of Christ, comes from a Samaritan historian named Thallus, who wrote around 52 A.D. His work was quoted by another early historian by the name of Julius Africanus who researched the topic of this darkness and wrote the following: "Upon the whole world there came a most fearful darkness. Many rocks were split in two by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. It seems very unreasonable to me that Thallus, in the third book...

Millions of people were plunged into darkness today as the longest solar eclipse for 1,000 years turned the Sun into a blazing ring of fire. Such a spectacle will not be seen again until December 23rd, 3043. Unlike eclipses which block out the Sun entirely this one was annular meaning the Moon blocked most of the Sun's middle, but not its edges, causing it to look like a circular band of light. Astronomers said the Maldives island of Male was the best place to view the phenomenon, although the unusual ring effect was also seen in a narrow stretch spanning...

This week, we all saw images on television screens of the solar eclipse that occurred on Wednesday. This was the longest eclipse the earth will see until 2136, which will likely be beyond most of our own lifetimes… unless my Fish Oil and CoQ10 work as I hope (!!!). I digress. When looking at the images at the NASA webpage, some are amazing, especially the one below. “Hinode is an international mission to study our nearest star, the sun. To accomplish this, the Hinode mission includes a suite of three science instruments — the Solar Optical Telescope, X-ray Telescope and...

Indian astrologers are predicting violence and turmoil across the world as a result of this week's total solar eclipse, which the superstitious and religious view as a sign of potential doom. But astronomers, scientists and secularists are trying to play down claims of evil portent in connection with Wednesday's natural spectacle, when the moon will come between the Earth and the sun, completely obscuring the sun. In Hindu mythology, the two demons Rahu and Ketu are said to "swallow" the sun during eclipses, snuffing out its life-giving light and causing food to become inedible and water undrinkable. Pregnant women are...

THE world's most populous nations will gaze skywards on Wednesday as the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st Century lays a carpet of darkness across India and China, from Mumbai to Shanghai. The event is being hyped in the obscure world of eclipse-chasers as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which, due to its trajectory over some of the most densely inhabited areas on Earth, could end up being the most-watched eclipse in history. The American astrophysicist and acclaimed eclipse expert Fred Espenak has simply labelled the July 22 event "a monster". Total solar eclipses occur when the moon comes between the...

The total solar eclipse of July 22 2009 will be visible across south-east Asia and the western Pacific. This will be a spectacular total eclipse, lasting over 6½ minutes at maximum and visible to millions of people over a path up to 258 km wide. The total eclipse begins just off the coast of India at 00:51:17 UT on July 22, and ends in Polynesia at 04:19:26 UT on July 22. The maximum eclipse is at 02:35:21 UT on July 22, when the total phase will last a stunning 6 minutes and 39 seconds. The partial eclipse will be visible...

About 24 hours from now, the crescent moon will occult Venus. The event will be visible from the western part of the US. If conditions are right, it could be an interesting event!

Friday, August 1 is a red-letter day for eclipse enthusiasts. On that date, the sun will be partially eclipsed over an immense area that includes western and central Asia, parts of northern and central Europe, all of Greenland and even a small slice of northeastern North America. A total solar eclipse — the first in nearly two and a half years — will be visible along a narrow track that will start over the Northwest Passage of Canada, gives a glancing blow to northern Greenland, then shifts southeast through Siberia and western Mongolia and before ending near the famed Silk...

The exact date when the Greeks used the Trojan horse to raze the city of Troy has been pinpointed for the first time using an eclipse mentioned in the stories of Homer, it was claimed today. # The truth about an epic tale of love, war and greed Scientists have calculated that the horse was used in 1188 BC, ten years before Homer in his Odyssey describes the return of a warrior to his wife on the day the "sun is blotted out of the sky". The legend of the fall of Troy is mentioned in Virgil and Homer's poems...

Ancient Eclipse Found in "The Odyssey," Scientists SayRichard A. Lovett for National Geographic NewsJune 23, 2008 "The sun has perished out of heaven, and an evil mist has overspread the world." With those words in The Odyssey, Homer laid down not a prophecy of doom but a description of a real-world total solar eclipse, scientific sleuths announced today. It has been known for decades that there was only one such eclipse during the time period Homer wrote about in the ancient Greek poem—on April 16, 1178 B.C. The blackout even occurred at noon, as described in the epic poem. But...

Eclipsed Moonlight Credit & Copyright: Jerry Lodriguss (Catching the Light) Explanation: Moon watchers blessed with clear skies over the Americas, Europe, Africa and western Asia enjoyed a total lunar eclipse this week. Catching eclipsed moonlight, astroimager Jerry Lodriguss offers this view of the inspiring celestial event with the shadowed Moon accompanied by wandering planet Saturn at the left, and bright Regulus, alpha star of the constellation Leo, above. The engaging composite picture was made by combining a filtered, telephoto image of the Moon and surrounding starfield with a telescopic exposure. The combination dramatizes the reddened moonlight while clearly showing...

Two papers. Two photographers. Infinite possibilities. Almost the exact same picture. "Of all the places we could have photographed during those many hours, we happened to photograph the exact same thing," said P-I photographer Josh Trujillo, who snapped a photo of an airplane passing in front of the darkened moon that was featured on the front page of the P-I's local section today

Just took this with my video camera. Anyone else have any cool pics from tonight's eclipse with Saturn in tow?

LOS ANGELES - The last total lunar eclipse until 2010 occurs Wednesday night, with cameo appearances by Saturn and the bright star Regulus on either side of the veiled full moon. Skywatchers viewing through a telescope will have the added treat of seeing Saturn's handsome rings. Weather permitting, the total eclipse can be seen from North and South America. People in Europe and Africa will be able to see it high in the sky before dawn on Thursday. As the moonlight dims — it won't go totally dark — Saturn and Regulus will pop out and sandwich the moon. Regulus...

The Moon will turn an eerie shade of red for people in the western hemisphere late Wednesday and early Thursday, recreating the eclipse that saved Christopher Columbus more than five centuries ago. In a lunar eclipse, the Sun, Earth and Moon are directly aligned and the Moon swings into the cone of shadow cast by the Earth. But the Moon does not become invisible, as there is still residual light that is deflected towards it by our atmosphere. Most of this refracted light is in the red part of the spectrum and as a result the Moon, seen from Earth,...

February 20th's Eclipse of the Moon All of the Americas will have ringside seats . . . weather permitting. by Alan M. MacRobert Find out more about this eclipse, including observing projects you can do with a telescope or your unaided eye, in Sky & Telescope's February issue. The last sunlit rim of the Moon was about to slip into the Earth's red shadow when Sean Walker of Sky & Telescope magazine took this picture on Aug. 28, 2007. It's easy to take good eclipse shots. Use a long lens and a tripod for your camera if you have an SLR,...

The Hollywood writers' strike may be over, but perhaps the best prime-time show this Wednesday night is in the sky: a total lunar eclipse. The moon will be completely submerged in Earth's shadow from 10:01 to 10:51 p.m. ET. "It's very well placed for the U.S.," said Fred Espenak, an astrophysicist and eclipse expert at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The celestial spectacle is visible throughout the Americas as well as during the wee hours of Thursday morning in Europe, most of Africa, and western Asia. All told, well over a billion people will have the...

On the night of Feb. 20, the full moon will pass into Earth's shadow in an event that will be visible across all of the United States and Canada. The total lunar eclipse will be made even more striking by the presence of the nearby planet Saturn and the bright bluish star, Regulus. Eclipses in the distant past often terrified viewers who took them as evil omens. Certain lunar eclipses had an overwhelming effect on historic events. One of the most famous examples is the trick pulled by Christopher Columbus.

DENVER - The Earth's shadow will creep across the moon's surface early Tuesday, slowly eclipsing it and turning it shades of orange and red. The total lunar eclipse, the second this year, will be visible in North and South America, especially in the West. People in the Pacific islands, eastern Asia, Australia and New Zealand also will be able to view it if skies are clear. People in Europe, Africa or the Middle East, who had the best view of the last total lunar eclipse in March, won't see this one because the moon will have set when the eclipse...

During the early morning hours of Aug. 28, astronomers say sky watchers around much of the world will be able to watch as the moon crosses the Earth's shadow, becoming completely immersed for nearly 90 -- a much longer period of time than occurs during most lunar eclipses. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said the event will begin 3:54 a.m. EDT, Aug. 28. The eclipse will be visible from Australia, parts of Asia and most of the Americas but not from Africa or Europe, NASA astronomers said. The view is different from each location. In the United States, Pacific...

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A speedy gas cloud has allowed astronomers to probe closer than ever before to a supermassive black hole, confirming ideas about how these formidable objects can generate vast quantities of X-rays and other radiation. The black hole is thought to lie at the heart of a galaxy called NGC 1365, around 60 million light years away. NGC 1365 is a relatively nearby example of a galaxy with an active nucleus – a small, intensely bright spot at its core. These active galactic nuclei are among the brightest objects in the universe.