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Lunar eclipse to occur Wednesday night

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(@gammarallyson)
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Source: Yahoo News!

Quote:


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 is the brightest star in the constellation Leo.

Jack Horkheimer, host of the PBS show "Star Gazer," called the event "the moon, the lord of the rings and heart of the lion eclipse."

Wednesday's event will be the last total lunar eclipse until Dec. 20, 2010. Last year there were two.

The weather could be a spoiler for many in the United States. Cloudy skies are expected for most of the Western states with a chance of snow from the heartland to the East Coast, said Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service.

"It looks like it's going to be a hard one to spot," Seto said.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon passes into Earth's shadow and is blocked from the sun's rays that normally illuminate it. During an eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon line up, leaving a darkened moon visible to observers on the night side of the planet.

The moon doesn't go black because indirect sunlight still reaches it after passing through the Earth's atmosphere. Since the atmosphere filters out blue light, the indirect light that reaches the moon transforms it into a reddish or orange tinge, depending on how much dust and cloud cover are in the atmosphere at the time.

Wednesday's total eclipse phase will last nearly an hour. Earth's shadow is expected to blot out the moon beginning around 7 p.m. on the West Coast and 10 p.m. on the East Coast. West Coast skygazers will miss the start of the eclipse because it occurs before the moon rises.

Unlike solar eclipses which require protective eyewear, lunar eclipses are safe to view with the naked eye.

Later this year, in August, there will be a total solar eclipse and a partial lunar eclipse.


So has anyone seen it? I've took some pictures when the moon was two-thirds covered using my sister's cameria, but had to stop when her battery was running low.

I'll post em when the event is over! :D

EDIT: Unfortunetly I cannot find my sisters UBS line for her Cameria, thus I cannot upload the "MAGNIFICENT" photos I took yesterday, I will post some pics when (if) I find it! ^^;

 
(@crimson-darkwolfe)
Posts: 2232
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Lunar eclipses are awesome. I watched the last one near here from a pub doorway, it gets quite surreal when the moon turns totally blood red.

 
(@nelstone)
Posts: 899
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Looking outside right now. Clear skies, so I can see everything, heh. It's almost completely covered.

 
(@gt-koopa)
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Just finished. Saw the red moon with powerful binoculars outside and inside. (Bright streetlights are a problem though)

 
(@shadowed-spirit-sage)
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Well, I never got to see it totally red, but it's definitely rust-colored right now. I was worried when the radio dudes said it was gonna be cloudy with snow flurries here and there, but wow. This is amazing. <3

The only other lunar eclipse I've seen was one that was almost total. I mean, one sliver was all it needed... alas, it did not happen. That time we had a telescope, but not this time.

~Shadowed Spirit Sage

 
(@abac-child)
Posts: 889
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It's really cloudy for me right now. I couldn't see anything, but I was really looking forward to it

 
(@steebay31)
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I checked it out every now and then, but never saw it completely covered. =/

 
(@hiro0015)
Posts: 2915
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I missed the complete too... Saw the blood red though...

Tried to take a picture, but I failed. Besides, it is way too cold out there.

 
(@questern)
Posts: 308
Reputable Member
 

I just barely missed the ocmplete as well. Oh well, 2010 isn't that far away...

 
(@ultra-sonic-007)
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Now I wait for August 2017, where a total solar eclipse can be seen by the continental US.

 
(@full-metal-rayzor_1722585901)
Posts: 2809
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Man, I forgot all about the eclipse; I was wanting to see it but I was caught up in Kirby's Adventure and later Metroid Prime 3.

 
(@samanfur-the-fox)
Posts: 2116
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I got to see some of the back of it, but only due to insomnia. It was ten tenths' cloud cover for most of the evening.

 
(@thecinderblock)
Posts: 216
Estimable Member
 

I didn't get to see it because of clouds. =/ Ah well.

 
(@chibibecca_1722585688)
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i forgot about it. ><; but apparently it was pretty cloudy where i am, so i'd have missed most of it anyway.

 
(@hidoikijo)
Posts: 608
Honorable Member
 

I saw it every 15 minutes or so. It was below zero with the wind chill. Nevertheless we had clear skies. Later I discovered I could see the whole thing from my friend's living room So I ended up in his place. Nothing like a beer, lecture handouts for a test and a bloody full eclipsed moon!

Btw, DA has a bunch of pictures from Wednesday's eclipse. Just type in the search.

 
(@shigeru-akari)
Posts: 1055
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I never saw the eclipse. It was storming at the time. >_<

 
(@lighty)
Posts: 880
Member Admin
 

I saw it. It was pretty neat.

Gazing through with my telescope, it appeared very dim.. but it may be because of some filters o.o

 
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