Moon could turn Red Thursday night

[megman]

The moon could turn an eerie shade of red Thursday night during the first full lunar eclipse in three years.

The best views will be in Eastern Canada, if there are no clouds.

Lunar eclipses occur when the full moon moves into the shadow of the Earth, which blocks sunlight that would normally reflect off the moon's surface.

In North America, the moon will be totally eclipsed for 53 minutes and should turn red or orange.

Cathy McWatters of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada recommends that moon gazers in Ontario get out their binoculars by 10:10 p.m. EST and look low in the southeast sky. At around 11:40, the moon will take on a reddish hue.

The further east you are, the better, because the moon will be higher in the sky when the eclipse occurs. In Vancouver, conversely, the moon will be fully eclipsed when it rises.

The moon is a rocky body that does not generate its own light. During a lunar eclipse, indirect sunlight still manages to reach it. The blue-coloured light gets filtered out as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere, leaving red, orange or in some cases yellow light. Some refracted light also reaches the moon.

"Our Earth's shadow is always red, but we never see it," Ms. McWatters said. The red colour is the refracted light from all the sunrises and sunsets around the planet, she said.

From about 10:10 p.m. EST to 11:30 p.m., the moon will appear to be passing through its various phases, she said.

During an eclipse, observers using binoculars or telescopes can see stars that are close to the moon, she said. This is usually difficult because of the glare.

The lunar eclipse will not be visible if the sky is cloudy, but there will be another chance to see one in early November.

Unlike solar eclipses, it is safe to watch lunar eclipses without protective filters. It will be visible to the naked eye, but binoculars will make it easier to see the colour change.

[Dale O Sea]

I plan on taking a gander at this extra-terrestreal event, weather permitting. I wonder If my old Sony Mavica digital camera will take a viewable picture? With any luck I can get something like this:

[megman]

Should work Dale. Heck, doesn't hurt none to try.

If clear here, I'm going to try with my 4" telescope and Minolta X300 35mm. Just to be safe and make sure I get some decent shots, I'll snap a few using the 70-210mm Zoom lens and lens doubler.

[snowbird]

For anyone in the Ottawa area, the local astronomical society will set up telescopes for viewing the moon at Beckwith Park in Black's Corners... The public is welcome.

[Cpt Spike Mike]

Here's when to look; all times given are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

moon enters penumbral phase- 9:O5pm

moon enters umbral phase- 1O:O3 pm

moon enters totality- 11:14pm

totality duration- ±53 minutes with peak at 11:4Opm

moon exits totality- 12:O7am (16MayO3)

moon exits umbral phase- 1:17am

moon exits penumbral phase- 2:15am

First, write all these times down, and then calculate to your timezone. Rewrite these times in big numbers so you won't get confused. Believe me, it's happened and you feel like an idiot.

Ignore the times given for the penumbral phase. The change in moon color during this phase of the eclipse is not noticeable to the human eye. Concentrate on the UMBRAL phase; that's when the moon will start to change. The best part is totality: the coloration will vary depending on weather conditions at particular parts of the globe. The last one I remember seeing was in 1999, and the moon turned a blackish brown, almost like dark chocolate.

You can look at it with your eyes, or using telescopes. As always, don't overlook those binoculars. Gather the family & wake up the kids, but don't drink the Kool-Aid and put on the brand-new jogging suits and Nike sneakers. The comet beings won't be able to attend this eclipse, and you won't have a ride.

Spike Mike ~ Astrcreep

[megman]

Hope you had a better view than I did snowbird.

Moon was lower on the horizon than I expected. Too many buildings. Had I known I would have travelled 2 miles south to the Experimental Farm.

[snowbird]

It was cloudy...