Total Eclipse of the Moon FEB 20, 2008

A total eclipse of the Moon occurs during the night of Wednesday, February 20/21, 2008. The entire event is visible from South America and most of North America (on Feb. 20) as well as Western Europe, Africa, and western Asia (on Feb. 21). On February 20, 2008, the moon, Earth, and sun line up causing a total lunar eclispe. The shadow of Earth will creep across the face of the brightly lit full moon for more than an hour before totality occurs. The next total lunar eclipse does not occur until December 21, 2010 http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEmono/TLE2008Feb21/TLE2008Feb21.html

Why Lunar Eclipses Occur:

Lunar eclipses must occur during a full moon. For the moon to be full, it has to lie on the opposite side of Earth from the sun. Most months when the moon is full, the line made by the Earth, sun, and moon does not line up perfectly for the moon to enter Earth's shadow. Lunar eclipses only occur about twice a year, and even then, not all lunar eclipses are total eclipses.

Recent volcanic eruptions in South and Central America may cause the eclipsed moon there to take on a blue, black, or violet hue. The particles in the atmosphere are what give the eclipsed moon its colors. Normally the hue is orangish or reddish, due to the colors of sunrise and sunset on the limbs of the Earth where the sun passes through and the color is projected onto the moon. Lunar eclipses, unlike solar eclipses, do not require any special precautions or viewing equipment. A lunar eclipse can be viewed without binoculars or a telescope.

Try taking a photograph of the eclipsed moon; a large zoom lens will come in handy!

Darkside of The Moon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tZIaapf2gU

Here are some of the moments of contact for different time zones:

Eastern Time:

Partial Phase Begins at 8:43 pm, Total Phase Begins at 10:01 pm, Total Phase Ends at 10:51 pm, Partial Phase Ends at 12:09 am (February 21)

Central Time:

Partial Phase Begins at 7:43 pm, Total Phase Begins at 9:01 pm, Total Phase Ends at 9:51 pm, Partial Phase Ends at 11:09 pm

Mountain Time:

Partial Phase Begins at 6:43 pm, Total Phase Begins at 8:01 pm, Total Phase Ends at 8:51 pm, Partial Phase Ends at 10:09 pm

Pacific Time:

Partial Phase Begins at 5:43 pm, Total Phase Begins at 7:01 pm, Total Phase Ends at 7:51 pm, Partial Phase Ends at 9:09 pm

The total phase will last approximately 50 minutes.

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