Greetings, Everyone.
Weather permitting, get ready for a celestial treat on Wednesday night! There will be a total eclipse of the moon in the early evening. Total eclipses happen when the full moon and passes through Earth's shadow directly opposite the sun. We are fortunate this time because the event takes place in the early evening instead of 2 AM like the eclipse last August. If you miss this one, you'll have to wait until December 2010 for the next total lunar eclipse.
On the West coast the moon rises at 5:30 PM on Wednesday with the partial phase of the eclipse already in progress. At about 7:00 totality begins and lasts until nearly 8:00 PM. During totality you can expect the moon appear as an orange-colored orb hanging low in the East against a starry background that includes the planet Saturn. I have attached a mosaic of images that I took during the last total eclipse using a small telescope and digital camera.
The great thing about lunar eclipses is that you don't need a telescope to really enjoy the view. My personal favorite way to view this type of event is with binoculars. If you have binoculars or a small telescope, now is that time to get them out!
Lunar eclipses move slowly. From start to finish it takes over three hours for the moon to pass into and out of the Earth's shadow. In my opinion, the best time to view this eclipse will be between 6:30 and 7:30 when the moon goes from being partially eclipsed into totality. If you have limited time, try to watch during that period.
Here is a link for more information:
Sky and Telescope
All we need now is a break in the clouds!
Happy eclipse watching,
Michael Beckage
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