- Astronomers expect a colorful show Saturday night when
Earth's shadow falls on the Moon, creating a total lunar eclipse. The event
is expected to be much more visually pleasing than a similar eclipse May
15.
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- "The November eclipse will be dramatically brighter
than the May event," says Fred Espenak, a NASA scientist and veteran
eclipse watcher.
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- The easy-to-watch spectacle will air live Saturday evening
over most of North and South America, weather permitting, and early Sunday
morning for much of Europe and Africa. Observing a lunar eclipse is completely
safe and requires no special equipment.
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- The visible portion of the eclipse will begin in the
Americas just after 6 p.m. ET, but only for eastern residents. Along the
western coast the eclipse will be underway as the Moon rises above the
horizon at sunset. The visible portion of the eclipse will be over before
10:30 p.m. ET.
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- Europeans will have to stay up late. The eclipse begins
there before midnight, and the heart of the event in Europe will occur
early Sunday morning.
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- What to expect
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- For those able the see the entire eclipse, a fuzzy outer
shadow, called a penumbra, will first fall gradually on the Moon, as Earth
gets directly between the Sun and the Moon. At around 6:30 p.m. ET a stark
scallop will be carved from the Moon as Earth's primary shadow, the umbra,
takes over.
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- The Moon will go into total eclipse at 8:06 p.m. ET and
emerge from totality 25 minutes later.
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- That's a relatively short period of totality, due to
the fact that the Moon is passing nearer to the bottom of a circular slice
of a cone-shaped shadow presented by Earth, rather than across the very
center of the circle.
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- You can imagine tracing a short line with your finger
across the bottom of a dinner plate, just through the outer reaches of
the mashed potatoes, versus a longer line that would traverse the turkey
in the middle, too, as well as the cranberry sauce on the other side.
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- Those with fairly dark skies will be able to see the
Moon, vaguely, even during totality. It is expected to take on an orange
or reddish color as light from all the worlds sunsets and sunrises is bent
through Earth's atmosphere and falls on the lunar surface, then is reflected
back to Earth. To picture this, imagine standing on the Moon during this
event: An astronaut there would see the Sun eclipsed by Earth, with a reddish
halo created by light being bent through the atmosphere of the home planet.
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- Because the Moon is near the edge of the shadow, the
coloring effect should be greater than what occurred during the May 15
eclipse. The Moon may take on the sort of blood-red hue that frightened
the ancients.
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- SPACE.com's Night Sky Columnist, Joe Rao, figures it
will turn coppery red during totality.
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- "This eclipse has all the makings of being a rather
colorful event," Rao said.
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- Eclipses occur only during full Moons. Because the Moon's
plane of orbit around the Earth is tilted compared to Earth's path around
the Sun, not every Full Moon generates an eclipse. There can be as many
as three in any given year. Some years there are none.
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- During the total phase of the eclipse, those under otherwise
dark skies away from city lights should notice a distinct darkening of
their surroundings as more stars emerge in the sky.
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- Observing tips
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- Residents of the Western U.S. and Canada -- about one-third
of each country -- will need a clear view of the horizon to see the eclipse,
in progress as it rises. The Moon will come up in the East, as it always
does, opposite the glow of the setting Sun.
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- A lunar eclipse can be enjoyed with the naked eye. But
optical aids offer the chance to better investigate craters on the Moon
and the subtle shading and coloring of the eclipse.
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- "All you'll really need are your eyes," Rao
said. "But binoculars or a telescope will give a much nicer view."
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- If you plan to watch more than just a few minutes of
the eclipse, seasoned observers recommend dressing warmer than you think
necessary and bringing food and hot drinks. A chair or blanket will make
the experience more enjoyable.
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- If you are out at sunset, there is another sight to look
for. Venus is just emerging in the evening sky and appears as a bright
dot just above the southwest horizon before full darkness sets in. It quickly
follows the Sun down.
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- All evening in the southern sky, Mars shines brightly,
an obvious beacon that typically has an orange or yellowish cast. Mars
is brighter than any star in that part of the sky. Stretch your arm out
and make a fist. Now count four fist-widths to the right of the Moon and
you'll see Mars. That's about 40 degrees of separation, as astronomers
count it.
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- The last total lunar eclipse was May 15 this year. There
will be two next year and then a drought until 2007.
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- http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=
- 96&ncid=753&e=10&u=/space/20031107/sc_space/total
- lunareclipsesaturdayshouldbecolorful
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