Merry Christmas Stargazers
If you get up early enough on Tuesday, the skies above will give you an early Christmas gift.
The folks at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in Transylvania County report that on the morning of December 21, people in the Carolinas will get to view a total eclipse of the moon, weather permitting. PARI says the moon will be passing through the Earth's shadow.
If you want to view the celestial show, you'll have to set the alarm clock and make sure the coffee is flowing. PARI reports that the eclipse starts at 12:28 am, but it will be about 30 minutes before anything is noticeable. At 1:32 am, PARI says you should start looking for a "notch" in the lower left edge of the moon.
At 2:40am, the moon will be entirely in the umbra, and totality begins. The eclipse will be over just after 6am.
According to PARI," Realize that when we observe an eclipse of the moon, the brightest thing we see is the full moon just before or after the eclipse. It is perfectly safe to look at a lunar eclipse with our unprotected eyes. For the photographer, the December 21 eclipse should provide an opportunity for some spectacular pictures of the moon, in full eclipse, well up in the sky. So go out on the morning of December 21 and enjoy one of nature's most spectacular phenomena."
If you miss this one, you've got a while to wait until the next total lunar eclipse. PARI says the next one that's visible from North Carolina won't happen until April 2014.
To learn more, go to www.pari.edu .
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