Saturday, February 16, 2008

LUNAR ECLIPSE IN THE CARIBBEAN

A Lunar Eclipse takes place at a Full Moon when the Moon moves into the shadow of the Earth cast by the Sun. This takes place at the same instant for all observers, but the LOCAL time on the clock depends on your time zone!

In North America (Canada & the US), the Total Eclipse takes place during:

Newfoundland ~ 11:30 p.m. - 12:21 a.m.
Atlantic ~ 11:00 - 11:51 p.m.
Eastern ~ 10:00 - 10:51 p.m.
Central ~ 9:00 - 9:51 p.m.
Mountain ~ 8:00 - 8:51 p.m.
Pacific ~ 7:00 - 7:51 p.m.

MEXICO, Central America and the Caribbean include all time zones listed above, so if you're not sure which time zone you're in, just keep your eyes on the skies from 7pm until midnight!

South American time zones range from UTC (GMT) -5 to -3, so the time will be from 10pm until 1am.

In Europe and Africa ~ 3:00 a.m. - 3:51 a.m. UTC (GMT) in the early morning of February 21

Look 1 hour 20 minutes before and after to see the partial phases. In Western regions, the Moon may rise partially eclipsed.

You don't have to go to any special place to see the eclipse, as long as you can see the Moon from where you are: front porch, backyard, walking down the street.

To the left of the Moon you will see the planet Saturn.

It may help to look for the Moon on the night before, so you know roughly what part of the sky to look in. On eclipse night, the Moon will be further East and a little lower in the sky, compared to the previous night. But don't worry...a near-Full Moon is hard to miss, even in the city!

IS IT SAFE TO LOOK AT? SHOULD I BE WEARING PROTECTION?
Not only can you view a Lunar Eclipse with the naked eye, it's absolutely amazing when viewed through binoculars. Better yet, you should try watching it through a telescope. Incredible. THERE WON'T BE ANOTHER FOR ALMOST 3 YEARS, so you don't want to miss it!

3 years? BUT I JUST SAW ONE IN AUGUST!
Yes, there was a Total Eclipse on August 28, 2007. Eclipses run in cycles, as the moon does. Although there will be a few partial eclipses over the next few years, the next Total Eclipse won't be until December 21, 2010, when we will have 3 more Total Eclipses in a row over a 12 month period.

Guests who "confirm attendance" will receive an automatic reminder as the date approaches.

Of course, there is nothing to attend, just go outside and look up, wherever you are!

1 comment:

  1. Great reminder on the eclipse. Interestingly: The red light you'll see on the Moon comes from all the sunrises and sunsets that are occurring around Earth at the time. Watch the Moon carefully for other colors during totality, especially through binoculars or a telescope. Sometimes delicate blues, greens, and purples come and go. Time-lapse photography may show “flying shadows” crossing the Moon’s face during totality. These result from different features along Earth’s sunrise-sunset ring fading and brightening as the Sun shifts position behind Earth. For this eclipse the Moon will be in the midst of some fine celestial scenery, like a big cameo stone with shiny little gems on the sides. The Moon will be more or less between bright Saturn and the slightly dimmer star Regulus. (Their exact arrangement will depend on where you're looking from.) The whole scene will just fit in the field of view of most binoculars.

    Do enjoy the watchings!!!

    Blessings .. Sabrina

    ReplyDelete

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