Lunar Eclipse on Monday night!

Here's a message from Mel Peterson, Augustana Professor Emeritus:

"A special event on the night of the 20th-21st. The best total lunar eclipse until 2014.

You don't need any aids other than your eyes to see this. And it will be visible over all of North America

11:55 pm Dec 20 You might notice slight darkening of the left edge of the moon as it enters the faint outer penumbral shadow.

12:33 am Dec 21 the Moon enters the darker umbral shadow - the partial eclipse begins. Looks like a bite is being taken out of the moon.

1:41 am Totality begins and will last for 72 minutes until the moon begins to leave the dark umbral shadow.

2:53 am totality ends

4:01 am Partial eclipse ends

4:33 am Penumbra darkening (faint) ends and the full moon is restored.

There is always a guessing game as to the color the moon will appear during totality. Sunlight is bent through the earth's atmosphere and will give the moon various colors depending on the stuff in our atmosphere. If we had no atmosphere the moon would be black during totality.

No need for binoculars etc to view. Just use your eyes. and no danger in viewing a lunar eclipse.

Enjoy and get the kids up to see it. Look directly to the south - above Orion and between Tarus and Gemini. find the full moon aout 11:00 pm and just keep track of it to see the eclipse.

Mel

Times are CST. If you travel to another time zone make appropriate corrections. If you happen to be in Siberia you will get to see totality."