tbutler Report post Posted October 6, 2014 One of nature’s great spectacles, a total lunar eclipse, occurs on Wednesday morning, October 8, 2014. There are many interesting things about a lunar eclipse. For one, the lunar eclipse is a show going on in space. We are all seeing the same thing at the same time. That is, everyone on Earth who can see the eclipse is seeing the same Moon. It is as if we are all watching a drive-in movie. When I say we are seeing the same thing at the same time I don’t mean that our clocks will all be the same, clocks in the eastern US show a different time than those in the central or western US. So to describe the time to look it is necessary to list a number of different times. Likewise, the circumstances of the eclipse vary depending on where you are when you watch the eclipse. A lunar eclipse occurs when Moon is directly opposite Sun in the sky. A lunar eclipse can only happen at full Moon. A full Moon always rises as Sun sets and a full Moon sets as Sun rises. They are 180 degrees apart in the sky. Another way to think of this is that Earth is exactly between Sun and Moon. For those in the eastern US, Moon will set during the eclipse. The exact time of moonset depends on your location. If you have access to a program that gives sunrise and sunset times, you can find the time of moonset. The partial phase of the eclipse begins at 5:15 a.m. EDT. At 6:25 a.m. EDT Moon will be entirely in the full shadow of Earth and the eclipse will be total. Totality lasts until 7:24 a.m. which will be well after sunrise for much of the Eastern Time Zone. The partial eclipse ends at 8:34 a.m. EDT. For the Central Time Zone, the times are 4:15 a.m. CDT as the moon begins to enter the umbra of Earth. The umbra is the darkest shadow of Earth. As moon enters this dark shadow the partial eclipse begins. At 5:25 CDT the entire moon will be within the umbra and the eclipse is total. For many in the Central Time Zone the eclipse will end with moonset during the total phase of the eclipse. The total phase ends at 6:24 a.m. CDT. The partial eclipse ends at 7:34 a.m. CDT which will be well after moonset for most of the Central Time Zone. In the Mountain Time Zone, Moon enters Earth’s umbra and the partial phase begins at 3:15 a.m. MDT. At 4:25 a.m. MDT totality begins. Totality ends at 5:25 a.m. MDT and the eclipse ends at 6:34 a.m. MDT about the time of moonset for many people in the Mountain Time Zone. Most of the Pacific Time Zone will be able to see the entire eclipse. The eclipse begins at 2:15 a.m. PDT, becomes total at 3:25 a.m. PDT, totality ends at 4:25 a.m. PDT and the partial eclipse ends at 5:34 a.m. PDT, about the time that dawn is beginning to brighten the sky in the east. Alaska and Hawaii will see the entire eclipse as will most of the Pacific Ocean. For our friends in eastern Australia and New Zealand, the eclipse begins shortly after moon rise the evening of Wednesday October 8 on the other side of the International Date Line. Don’t miss this special event, set your alarm on Tuesday evening, October 7 to be up to see the eclipse in the predawn hours Wednesday morning, October 8. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jlandon13399 Report post Posted October 6, 2014 Tom, I hope we can see the eclipse in Tucson. Unfortunately it is forecast to be overcast so it may be a no go. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted October 7, 2014 One of the hazards of astronomy, clouds! And now the tropical storm clouds really don't help. Best of luck! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bizsmith@yahoo.com Report post Posted October 8, 2014 Went our to take a look. Very good view in Minneapolis. Eerie. I can see why the ancients were mystified and even terrified by an eclipse. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elkhartjim Report post Posted October 8, 2014 Awesome showing in the Houston area this morning. The stars were unbelievably beautiful in the black sky and the Milky Way was amazing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
akadeadeye Report post Posted October 9, 2014 My wife was not a happy camper to have been awakened at 5:30 to see this event only to find out there was massive cloud cover. So, I fixed her breakfast and we watched it on TV. Don Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillAdams Report post Posted October 9, 2014 No point in getting up. Could hear the rain on the roof. Night, night. Watched it on the news! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted October 9, 2014 Thanks to all for the comments. We had a great night here in Valley Springs. Skies were crystal clear. We had our two granddaughters up and they really enjoyed the show. Loved seeing all the stars show up as the moon faded and really enjoyed seeing some meteors as the night went on. Temperature were cool and no bugs, can't beat that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
