Lunar Eclipse: August 28th
Reported August 2007
GREENBELT, Md. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Late-night sky watchers need to keep and eye on the moon in august -- a total lunar eclipse will be in full view.
If legend has it, strange things happen during a full moon. But when a full moon rises this summer, it won't be strange to see Matthew Zagursky up late watching the rare night sky event.
"You don't really get this opportunity very often to observe it in its fullness", said Zagursky, an amateur astronomer.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when a full moon passes through the earth's shadow during its orbit. When the sun, Earth and moon are perfectly aligned, the Earth blocks the sun's light.
"You don't need any kind of special equipment to watch it. You can use the naked eye or a pair of binoculars", said Fred Espenak, Ph.D., Astrophysicist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
But astrophysicists say the most spectacular view of the night is the moon's eerie red and orange glow -- caused by the sun's indirect light being filtered through Earth's atmosphere, trying to reach the moon.
"You can actually see the moon moving into the Earth's shadow, and it really gives you sort of a three-dimensional perspective on the solar system", said Dr. Espenak.
Look for the eclipse on August 28th. The western United States will have the best view. The east coast will catch only the start of it. Matthew already knows it will be a late night.
"I'll be up at three in the morning for the lunar eclipse in August", he said.
Another total lunar eclipse occurs on February 21st, 2008 -- the entire United States will be in perfect position to watch the entire event from beginning to end. If you're more interested in a total solar eclipse, you'll have to wait -- the next one is in 2017.
The American Astronomical Society and the American Meteorological Society contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.
Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:
Nancy Neal Jones, Public Information
Goddard Space Flight Center
(301) 286-0039
nancy.n.jones@nasa.gov
For more information on events in the sky:
American Astronomical Society
Washington, DC 20009-1231
(202) 328-2010
http://www.aas.org
aas@aas.org
American Meteorological Society
45 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108-3693
(617) 227-2425
http://www.ametsoc.org
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