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| Olde Tyme Religion |
| Total Lunar Eclipse Monday Night (Tonight) |
| 2010-12-20 |
| Agreed, not War on Terror related (unless I mention that Allah is a moon-god) but cool never-the-less. In 1638, Harvard University had just been founded, the Salem witch trials had yet to begin, Galileo had just lost his eyesight -- and the moon was blotted out by the shadow of the Earth. Given Obumble's associates - lets start the Harvard Witch trials this time around... It was also the solstice, a celestial coincidence that wouldn't happen again for another 372 years. Not until tonight. So break out the flashlights. Because when a full lunar eclipse takes place on the shortest day of the year, North America may get awfully dark. But if the weather is clear, favorably placed skywatchers will have a view of one of nature's most beautiful spectacles. Unlike a total eclipse of the sun, which is only visible to those in the path of totality, eclipses of the moon can usually be observed from one's own backyard. The passage of the moon through the Earth's shadow is equally visible from all places within the hemisphere where the moon is above the horizon. The eclipse will actually begin when the moon enters the faint outer portion, or penumbra, of the Earth's shadow a little over an hour before it begins moving into the umbra. The penumbra, however, is all but invisible to the eye until the moon becomes deeply immersed in it. Sharp-eyed viewers may get their first glimpse of the penumbra as a faint smudge on the left part of the moon's disk at or around 6:15 UT (on Dec. 21) which corresponds to 1:15 a.m. Eastern Time or 10:15 p.m. Pacific Time (on Dec. 20). The most noticeable part of this eclipse will come when the moon begins to enter the Earth's dark inner shadow (called the umbra). A small scallop of darkness will begin to appear on the moon's left edge at 6:33 UT (on Dec. 21) corresponding to 1:33 a.m. EST or 10:33 p.m. PST (on Dec. 20). The moon is expected to take 3 hours and 28 minutes to pass completely through the umbra. The total phase of the eclipse will last 72 minutes beginning at 7:41 UT (on Dec. 21), corresponding to 2:41 a.m. EST or 11:41 p.m. PST (on Dec. 20). At the moment of mid-totality (8:17 UT/3:17 a.m. EST/12:17 a.m. PST), the moon will stand directly overhead from a point in the North Pacific Ocean about 800 miles (1,300 km) west of La Paz, Mexico. The moon will pass entirely out of the Earth's umbra at 10:01 UT/5:01 a.m. EST/2:01 a.m. PST and the last evidence of the penumbra should vanish about 15 or 20 minutes later. Interestingly, from most of New Zealand, a slice of northeast Australia, Papua, New Guinea, southwest Japan and Korea, the moon will rise during totality on the evening of Dec. 21. Because of low altitude and bright evening twilight, observers in these locations may not see much of the moon at all until it begins to emerge from out of the Earth's shadow. Too bad it wasn't over Saudi-Arabia / Iran. Might be interesting to watch the reaction when Allan hides his face. |
| Posted by:CrazyFool |
| #4 ahhh, Night of the Comet. think my best friend and I went to that one about 15 times. that was before the multiplex theaters bothered much with trying to keep you from watching a 2nd (or 3rd) movie on one ticket by going to a different flick when you came out of the bathroom. |
| Posted by: abu do you love 2010-12-20 20:24 |
| #3 I convinced a bunch of young teens to experiment with mushrooms. |
| Posted by: Zombie Hillary Lover 2010-12-20 19:47 |
| #2 Day of the Triffids. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2010-12-20 19:36 |
| #1 I convinced a group of younger teens to watch the movie Night of the Comet tonight. Good, campy fun. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-12-20 18:34 |