On May 15, the first total lunar eclipse in more than two years will
provide a fascinating 3-1/4 hour spectacle for skywatchers in North
and South America, Europe and Africa.
In northern California, the celestial event will begin just after 8
p.m. PDT when the moon will gradually rise, already in partial
eclipse. The eclipse will reach its full darkness (called
“totality”) at 8:14 p.m. and the total eclipse will last until 9:07
p.m. Following this, the Earth’s shadow moving across the moon will
be visible until 10:17 p.m.
“People should position themselves with as clear a view of the
eastern horizon as they can get,” said NASA educator and amateur
astronomer Brian Day. According to Day, the beginning of the eclipse
may be difficult to see at first because the sky will still be light;
but conditions will improve as the sky darkens. Although skywatchers
can observe the lunar eclipse with the naked eye, binoculars or a
small telescope will enhance the spectacular view dramatically.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the sun, Earth and moon form a
straight line in space and the full moon passes through Earth’s
shadow.
For more information about the eclipse visit:
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/lunar.html
For images of lunar eclipses, visit:
