Kompressor

Your Guide to the Darkest Day in 372 Years



Late Monday night—well, actually, early Tuesday morning—the moon will move into the earth's shadow, causing a lunar eclipse visible to anyone in North America. Even better, it's happening on the Winter Solstice, for the first time since 1638.

Now, obviously, you already have your Winter Solstice party/pansexual orgy/potluck planned out to perfection. (Right?) But can you properly include a showing of the first full lunar eclipse in three years? Here's what you need to know.

Locate the moon. (Hint: It's in the sky.) The earth's shadow should start showing on the moon's lower left around 1:33 a.m. Eastern time, which is when Fallon ends, if you're on the east coast, or halfway through Hawaii Five-0, if you're on the west coast.

The shadow moves slowly, but by 2:41 a.m., the entire moon will be covered, and will stay that way for an hour. The is the optimal time for consuming your peyote, playing your war drums, murdering people, etc.

The shadow will start moving again at 3:53 a.m., and the moon will be back to normal by 5:00 a.m. At this point it's appropriate to do your winter solstice folk dances and poetry recitals.

So, you see: It's pretty simple. But you might be wondering: What, exactly, is the point of watching a lunar eclipse? Why can't I just close my eyes? Bad Astronomy's Phil Plait explains what's so cool:

Sometimes, atmospheric conditions on Earth will cast an eerie, blood-red shadow on the Moon... it's really quite stunning, and worth staying up (or getting up early) to see. Also, the Moon does not pass directly through the center of the Earth's umbral shadow, so the top and bottom halves of the Moon may be dramatically different in appearance and color. There's no way to predict this, so you'll just have to go out and see for yourself.

So, something like this:



See! Science can be cool, even on the winter solstice.

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SageTree

Thanks for that Komp. Winter Solstice is one of my most favourite holidays and it'll be cool to see the 'sun' instantly coming back on it's way back to it's highest point for the Summer one.

I haven't gotten your RSVP for the pan-party yet, the Wife said she needs to know how many people are coming.... !!!!!!!

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Bearsy

I'm looking forward to this.

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SageTree

*edit: Any time you start a question with, 'this might be a dumb question.... think for a second.

The Derp is strong here....

Thanks for the answers folks, I just needed a 3rd grade science refresher


So maybe dumb question here, but you two are reasonable smart fellas....

I got to thinking it was pretty cool that this was also happening on a full moon....

Then I got to thinking....

"I assume there HAS to also be lunar eclipses that happen when the moon isn't anywhere near full like it will be tonight."

True or false?

Maybe my memory is just failing me, but I can't remember for the life of me seeing or hearing about an eclipse on a partially moon. I'm not getting this mixed up with 'partial eclipse', which is something completely different than what I'm asking about, right? To which I understand that to be the earth only moving over part of the moon.

Thanks Mr. Wizards,
SageTree

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The Rev

I've been looking forward to this for months, but unfortunately, I probably won't get to see it. It's been raining here for days and skyward clarity has been non-existent. Of all the days, too, the Winter Solstice. What a bummer.



The Rev

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Kompressor

The moon has to be full because it must be behind the earth for the earths shadow to intersect it.

__________________
Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought. -H. Bergson

SageTree

Boo!!!


Rev I'll email you a total eclipse of my moon!!!

Brilliant..... what the hell did I think was making the moon half full

I knew that one was a little to simple for my own good


3rd grade science dedications!!!!!

SageTree

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~1~

Derp, never mind.



I was misinformed.


100% chance of rain here until Thursday.

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SageTree

It's in the past!

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Jenna_Grows

Lunar eclipses only happen during full moon. Solar eclipses happen at the new moon.

Eclipses ....unexpected changes

Exciting!!

SageTree

Yea that was on my top of my bone head questions I've asked in a while.


Duh SageTree! Step away from the joint

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Jenna_Grows

nah....just keeping everyone on their toes Sage... always good.

I am gonna wake up the whole house to watch it! ha

~1~

If you were standing on the moon looking at the night side of the earth, at the zenith of the eclipse you are witnessing every sunrise and sunset happening at that moment on the planet.


Pass that man...

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SageTree

Just talked to my Beloved and she said she had similar plans as I. A late night visit to Lake Ontario!!

dooooooood ......

"It's in the passsssss"

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farmergiles

Totally clear skies here atm.

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Cultivate a stoic calmness

AlteredStateGrl

♫♪Once upon a time I was falling in love...
But now I'm only falling apart
There's nothing I can do
A total eclipse of the heart
Once upon a time there was light in my life
But now there's only love in the dark
Nothing I can say
A total eclipse of the heart...♪♫


Edit - actually, The Dan Band does it better.





AND, on topic, I don't think I'll be able to see it due to the cloud cover.

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*The sweetest kittens have the sharpest claws.*

SageTree

♫♪♪ Nobody does it beter....♫

Well ... for the sake of the lyric pun.....

However here is a funny video while we're on the topic....

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Roach

Lunar eclipse - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes behind the earth so that the earth blocks the sun's rays from striking the moon. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, there is always a full moon the night of a lunar eclipse. The type and length of an eclipse depend upon the Moon's location relative to its orbital nodes. The next total lunar eclipse will occur on December 21, 2010 at 0817 UTC[1].

Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be viewed from a certain relatively small area of the world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of the Earth. A lunar eclipse lasts for a few hours, whereas a total solar eclipse lasts for only a few minutes at any given place. Some lunar eclipses have been associated with important historical events.

Types of lunar eclipseThe shadow of the Earth can be divided into two distinctive parts: the umbra and penumbra. Within the umbra, there is no direct solar radiation. However, as a result of the Sun’s large angular size, solar illumination is only partially blocked in the outer portion of the Earth’s shadow, which is given the name penumbra.

A penumbral eclipse occurs when the Moon passes through the Earth’s penumbra. The penumbra causes a subtle darkening of the Moon's surface. A special type of penumbral eclipse is a total penumbral eclipse, during which the Moon lies exclusively within the Earth’s penumbra. Total penumbral eclipses are rare, and when these occur, that portion of the Moon which is closest to the umbra can appear somewhat darker than the rest of the Moon.

A partial lunar eclipse occurs when only a portion of the Moon enters the umbra. When the Moon travels completely into the Earth’s umbra, one observes a total lunar eclipse. The Moon’s speed through the shadow is about one kilometer per second (2,300 mph), and totality may last up to nearly 107 minutes. Nevertheless, the total time between the Moon’s first and last contact with the shadow is much longer, and could last up to 3.8 hours.[2] The relative distance of the Moon from the Earth at the time of an eclipse can affect the eclipse’s duration. In particular, when the Moon is near its apogee, the farthest point from the Earth in its orbit, its orbital speed is the slowest. The diameter of the umbra does not decrease appreciably within the changes in the orbital distance of the moon. Thus, a totally eclipsed Moon occurring near apogee will lengthen the duration of totality.

The timing of total lunar eclipses are determined by its contacts:

(follow link for images.)

P1 (First contact): Beginning of the penumbral eclipse. The Earth's penumbra makes contact with the outer limb of the Moon.
U1 (Second contact): Beginning of the partial eclipse. The Earth's umbra touches the outer limb of the Moon.
U2 (Third contact): Beginning of the total eclipse. The Moon is located completely within the Earth's umbra.
Greatest eclipse: The peak stage of the total eclipse. The Moon is at its closest to the center of the umbra.
U3 (Fourth contact): End of the total eclipse. The Moon's outer limb exits Earth's umbra.
U4 (Fifth contact): End of the partial eclipse. The Earth's umbra leaves the surface of the Moon.
P2 (Sixth contact): End of the penumbral eclipse. The Earth's shadow no longer makes any contact with the Moon.

A selenelion or selenehelion occurs when both the Sun and the eclipsed Moon can be observed at the same time. This can only happen just before sunset or just after sunrise, and both bodies will appear just above the horizon at nearly opposite points in the sky. This arrangement has led to the phenomenon being referred to as a horizontal eclipse. It happens during every lunar eclipse at all those places on the Earth where it is sunrise or sunset at the time. Indeed, the reddened light that reaches the Moon comes from all the simultaneous sunrises and sunsets on the Earth. Although the Moon is in the Earth’s geometrical shadow, the Sun and the eclipsed Moon can appear in the sky at the same time because the refraction of light through the Earth’s atmosphere causes objects near the horizon to appear higher in the sky than their true geometric position.[4]

The Moon does not completely disappear as it passes through the umbra because of the refraction of sunlight by the Earth’s atmosphere into the shadow cone; if the Earth had no atmosphere, the Moon would be completely dark during an eclipse. The red coloring arises because sunlight reaching the Moon must pass through a long and dense layer of the Earth’s atmosphere, where it is scattered. Shorter wavelengths are more likely to be scattered by the air molecules and the small particles, and so by the time the light has passed through the atmosphere, the longer wavelengths dominate. This resulting light we perceive as red. This is the same effect that causes sunsets and sunrises to turn the sky a reddish color; an alternative way of considering the problem is to realize that, as viewed from the Moon, the Sun would appear to be setting (or rising) behind the Earth.

The amount of refracted light depends on the amount of dust or clouds in the atmosphere; this also controls how much light is scattered. In general, the dustier the atmosphere, the more that other wavelengths of light will be removed (compared to red light), leaving the resulting light a deeper red color. This causes the resulting coppery-red hue of the Moon to vary from one eclipse to the next. Volcanoes are notable for expelling large quantities of dust into the atmosphere, and a large eruption shortly before an eclipse can have a large effect on the resulting color.

Danjon scale
The following scale (the Danjon scale) was devised by André Danjon for rating the overall darkness of lunar eclipses:[5]

L=0: Very dark eclipse. Moon almost invisible, especially at mid-totality.
L=1: Dark eclipse, gray or brownish in coloration. Details distinguishable only with difficulty.
L=2: Deep red or rust-colored eclipse. Very dark central shadow, while outer edge of umbra is relatively bright.
L=3: Brick-red eclipse. Umbral shadow usually has a bright or yellow rim.
L=4: Very bright copper-red or orange eclipse. Umbral shadow is bluish and has a very bright rim.

and that's that.

so it may just be the "End of the penumbral eclipse of The Heart"

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Bearsy

Zombie Werewolves tonight. I can sense it.

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Roach

It's cloudy in the burgh...sooooo.....


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:thebird:

fuck it...I sure hope nasa uses different code writers for their space missions.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-msfc

must be zombies.

I've tried maybe 5 different video feeds and none of them work.

I'll catch it on youtube tomorrow.

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