Lunar eclipse

February 18, 2008 11:13 pm

— A total lunar eclipse will be visible Wednesday night from Valdosta. On that night the full moon will rise in the east at 6:11 p.m., just as the sun is setting in the west. The eclipse will begin at 7:53 p.m., as the moon first contacts the Earth’s shadow.
The entire event will be visible from South America and most of North America (on Feb. 20) as well as Western Europe, Africa, and western Asia (on Feb. 21). The last total lunar eclipse occurred Aug. 28, 2007, and the next will not occur until Dec. 21, 2010, according to NASA.
“During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon’s disk can take on a dramatically colorful appearance from bright orange to blood red to dark brown and (rarely) very dark gray,” a NASA Web site explained. “An eclipse of the Moon can only take place at Full Moon, and only if the Moon passes through some portion of Earth’s shadow.”
Circumstances of this eclipse are as follows:
7:53 p.m. — The penumbral eclipse phase begins as the Moon enters the outer portion of Earth’s shadow. No change in the Moon’s appearance will be visible.
8:58 p.m. — The moon enters the central umbra of Earth’s shadow, and the partial eclipse phase begins. Observers in Valdosta will begin to see a “bite” taken out of the moon's left side; this will grow over the next hour.
10:14 p.m. - The total eclipse phase begins; the moon is now entirely inside the umbra of Earth’s shadow. Depending upon the purity of the Earth’s atmosphere, the moon may appear reddish in color (if the air is “moderately dirty”) or it may disappear entirely (if the air is very clean or very dirty).
11:09 p.m. — The total eclipse phase ends as the moon begins to leave the umbra of the Earth’s shadow.
12:26 a.m. — The partial eclipse phase ends; the moon is now entirely outside the umbra, and once again appears to be a Full Moon.
1:31 a.m. — The penumbral eclipse phase ends as the moon exits the penumbra. The eclipse is over.
As a public service the observatory at Valdosta State University will be open (weather permitting) from 8:30 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. for this event. In addition to the eclipsed moon, visitors will be able to view the planets Mars and Saturn along with the Pleiades star cluster and the Great Nebula of Orion.
Visitors should enter at the southeast entrance of Nevins Hall and take the stairs or elevator to the fourth floor. For further information please call the Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences at (229) 333-5752.

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