Monday, December 20, 2010

Boy, Look At That Moon...!


Get ready for a very special event tomorrow!

We have another light show provided for us by Mother Nature, free of charge! This is one heck of a way to end the year, I'm thinking! This is not exactly a light show, but rather a "lack of light show" as it is a Lunar eclipse! Very rare because it comes at the time of a full moon!

Here is the story right out of the pages of the Almanac!

This year wraps up with a rare event! A total lunar eclipse—of the full Moon—on the winter solstice! A triple whammy!

Delightfully, this eclipse will be fully visible from North America. The partial eclipse begins in the wee hours of December 21 at 1:32 A.M. (ET) with totality starting at 2:40 A.M. (For those on the West cost, the show begins on the 20th!)

With the total eclipse, we will enjoy a celestial canvas of superb beauty. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon. In this alignment, the shadow of the Earth falls upon the Moon, dimming the Moon and giving it unusual coloring, ranging from muted gray to coppery orange.

While every eclipse is special, this one is attended by many stars and constellations that are beautiful in their own right.

You have to be careful when watching these things. If you aren't careful, you can get carried away and get a crick in your neck from looking up so long!

What say we get some fresh coffee and sit in the kitchen? Don't forget about tonight, OK?

10 comments:

  1. I am SO hoping to see this! I missed the shooting stars due to cloud cover! but I am setting my alarm (or staying up) and will try to see this rare occasion! thanks for the reminder!

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  2. I work third-shift and the weather is clear so I should be able to catch it.

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  3. Can't wait for tonight - better be clear. Get out the reclining lawn chair, add a sleeping bag to keep cozy and enjoy.

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  4. It will happen much later for us (even if it happens at the same time :-) :-) ) Around 8:40 am so most of us will work when it happens. But I´ve decided I´ll take a short break to see if I might watch some of it anyway.

    Have a great day now!
    Christer.

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  5. Well, I wanted to see it, truly, I did. But it's overcast here, and not supposed to clear up, so I won't have to stay up until 4AM to see the eclipse. Dammit! Why didn't anyone schedule it at a reasonable hour, say, 10AM?

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  6. Of course, I meant 10PM, as in, at night. Even this week I'm not so frazzled that I forgot that you can't see the moon well in daylight.

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  7. Very doubtful if I will be able to see it due to cloud cover. It snowed last night, and there is more in the forecast. I've seen an eclipse of a full moon before, and it is pretty spectacular.

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  8. We'll be looking too, supposed to be clear skies, which mean it will be frosty but can't wait to see it! I saw my first lunar eclipse when I was in 6th grade.
    Thanks for the reminder, with Christmas approaching we're fast at work on finishing up gifts, cookies and getting the house cleaned and ready for company.
    Blessings,
    Kelle

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  9. If I didn't have to work tomorrow, I'd stay up to see it. Damn, work makes me miss a lot of cool stuff. Missed Halley's comet last time around, and I doubt I'll be alive for it's return...

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  10. Gidday Jim, our Summer Solstice tomorrow, very hot 30C (86F) and cloudy. Probably too cloudy to see the eclipse tonight.

    Hugs from waayyyy DownUnderHere in New Zealand, and hugs for your Mum too please.

    Minerva

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