ScienceCasts: A Colorful Lunar Eclipse (Oct 08)

[bystander]

Colorful Lunar Eclipse
Science@NASA | Science Casts | 2014 Sep 18

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

On Wednesday morning, Oct. 8th, not long before sunrise, the bright full Moon over North America will turn a lovely shade of celestial red. It's a lunar eclipse—visible from all parts of the USA.

"It promises to be a stunning sight, even from the most light polluted cities," says NASA's longtime eclipse expert Fred Espenak. "I encourage everyone, especially families with curious children, to go out and enjoy the event."

From the east coast of North America, totality begins at 6:25 am EDT. The Moon will be hanging low over the western horizon, probably swollen by the famous Moon illusion into a seemingly-giant red orb, briefly visible before daybreak. West-coast observers are even better positioned. The Moon will be high in the sky as totality slowly plays out between 3:25 am and 4:24 am PDT.

During a lunar eclipse, the Moon passes deep inside the shadow of our planet, a location that bathes the the face of the Moon in a coppery light. ...

Total Lunar Eclipse of 2014 Oct 08

[bystander]

Total Lunar Eclipse Before Dawn October 8th
Sky & Telescope | 2014 Oct 02

For the second time this year, North Americans will have an opportunity to see a total eclipse of the Moon. But this one favors night owls and early-risers, because the full Moon passes through the umbra — the dark inner part of Earth's shadow — well after midnight on the morning of October 8th for the four main U.S. time zones. In many areas the eclipse happens as dawn is brightening.

The timetable below tells what to expect and when. The eclipse will also be visible from western South America and much of the Pacific. Viewers in Australia and eastern Asia get to view this event on the evening of October 8th. ...

Code: Select all

 
Total Eclipse of the Moon, October 8, 2014

Eclipse event                        EDT           CDT             MDT            PDT          UT (GMT)
Penumbra first visible?            4:45 a.m.     3:45 a.m.       2:45 a.m.      1:45 a.m.      08:45
Partial eclipse begins             5:15 a.m.     4:15 a.m.       3:15 a.m.      2:15 a.m.      09:15
Total eclipse begins               6:25 a.m.     5:25 a.m.       4:25 a.m.      3:25 a.m.      10:25
Mid-eclipse                        6:55 a.m.     5:55 a.m.       4:55 a.m.      3:55 a.m.      10:55
Total eclipse ends                 7:24 a.m.     6:24 a.m.       5:24 a.m.      4:24 a.m.      11:24
Partial eclipse ends                  --         7:34 a.m.       6:34 a.m.      5:34 a.m.      12:34
Penumbra last visible?                --            --           7:05 a.m.      6:05 a.m.      13:05

...

[BDanielMayfield]

Since astronomical objects are always reddened near the horizon this should be an exceptionally rudy moonrise for some.

[bystander]

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Total Lunar Eclipse Before Dawn Wednesday, October 8, 2014
StarDate Magazine | 2014 Oct 06

American skywatchers get a rare treat early October 8 — the second total lunar eclipse of the year, according to the editors of StarDate magazine. The entire “total” phase of the eclipse is visible across all but a narrow strip of the East Coast.

The eclipse begins at 4:15 a.m. Central Daylight Time, when the Moon first touches Earth’s dark inner shadow. It’ll be fully immersed in the shadow about an hour later, beginning the total eclipse. The Moon will set while the eclipse is in progress as seen from the eastern half of the country. The western U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii, will see the whole thing.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the full Moon passes through Earth’s long shadow. The Moon’s orbit is tilted slightly compared to Earth’s orbit around the Sun, though, so most months the Moon passes a little above or below the shadow. An eclipse occurs only when the geometry is just right. ...