Friday, June 25, 2010

Partial Lunar Eclipse Saturday Morning

Early tomorrow (Saturday) morning the moon with move into Earth's shadow producing a partial lunar eclipse. The times for those of us out west, coupled with how it will appear are on the diagram below:


One of the great things about a lunar eclipse that they are easy and, unlike a solar eclipse, safe to view. No optical aid is necessary to view the event, although a pair of binoculars can help the view.

For those in the San Diego area the National Weather service is calling for a deep marine layer, which could block the view. Palomar Observatory is not open for viewing of the eclipse, but any clear location will do to see the event.

This partial eclipse is a warm-up act for the total lunar eclipse that will happen the night of December 20, 2010.

You can learn more from StarDate, NASA, or Sky & Telescope magazine.
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3 comments:

  1. jgJune 25, 2010 at 1:29 PM

    Scott,
    I've been conducting a little thought experiment on this. Because this eclipse happens near the summer solstice, it's a great opportunity to consider the geometry and make a prediction of where moonset will be. If the sun sets farthest north of west at solstice, shouldn't the moonset be an equal distance south of west? That's what I'm testing tomorrow.
    jg

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  2. jgJune 26, 2010 at 6:48 AM

    Scott,
    Did you see the eclipse?

    I got a photo from my home that I posted here: moonset

    jg

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  3. Palomar ObservatoryJune 26, 2010 at 9:33 AM

    Yes, I saw the eclipse. I'll have photos posted here later today.

    Nice picture, John.

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