Tonight's Lunar Eclipse

Tonight there is a total eclipse of the Moon starting 10:01 PM eastern standard time. The partial eclipse begins just after the polls close.

I'm not sure that its going to signify the end of mass media controlled corporate politics in America and the beginning of a new involvement for people who never felt they had any role in the decision making process, but its certainly a clear and starry night in which it may be worthwhile to step outside the smoke filled rooms for a breath of fresh air.

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). During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon's disk can take on a dramatically colorful appearance from bright orange to blood red to dark brown and (rarely) very dark gray.

An eclipse of the Moon can only take place at Full Moon, and only if the Moon passes through some portion of Earth's shadow. The shadow is actually composed of two cone-shaped parts, one nested inside the other. The outer shadow or penumbra is a zone where Earth blocks some (but not all) of the Sun's rays. In contrast, the inner shadow or umbra is a region where Earth blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the Moon.

If only part of the Moon passes through the umbra, a partial eclipse is seen. However, if the entire Moon passes through the umbral shadow, then a total eclipse of the Moon occurs. For more information on how, what, why, where and when of lunar eclipses, see the special web page lunar eclipses for beginners.

•  tomorrow night n/t

  by linc on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 05:47:17 PM PDT

  •  yeah, I freaked out for a sec...

    I'm supposed to work the eclipse tomorrow at our observatory on campus

    by ryangoesboom on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 05:48:43 PM PDT

    •  From NASA:

      Get Ready For Total Lunar Eclipse Wednesday Night

      In the late night hours of Feb. 20, 2008, a total lunar eclipse will dazzle the night sky. And this lunar eclipse may be worth staying up for, because it will be the last one until December 2010.

      by Jimdotz on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 05:52:43 PM PDT

      •  wtf 2010...

        weren't we supposed to be on a joint mission to Jupiter with the Soviets by now?  And living in minimalist houses on the beach with a dolphin tunnel?  And writing reports on our Apple IIc's while the surf rolled in?

        And no goddamned flying cars either.  I'm going back to the past.

        by socratic on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 05:54:54 PM PDT

        •  WTF is a "dolphin tunnel"?! n/t

          by dolphin777 on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 05:57:27 PM PDT

          •  I think the guy in 2010 had one in his house...

            but it's been a while since I read the book

            by ryangoesboom on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 05:58:32 PM PDT

            •  What guy? What book??!! n/t

              by dolphin777 on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 05:59:23 PM PDT

              •  2010: Odyssey 2

                by Arthur C. Clark

                http://en.wikipedia.org/...

                by ryangoesboom on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:02:53 PM PDT

          •  it's a tunnel

            for dolphins... that leads to an open pond in Roy Scheider's living room in the movie "2010"

            by socratic on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:00:02 PM PDT

            •  And for that matter

              where's Roy Scheider?

              by gracchus on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:02:21 PM PDT

              •  In the great beyond (recently!) n/t

                by dolphin777 on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:03:10 PM PDT

                •  Like

                  2-3 days ago, if my flu-addled brain remembers correctly.

                  by socratic on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:04:27 PM PDT

                  •  Many of Scheider's old films showing up on

                    TeeVee!! "All that Jazz" was one of my faves!

                    Aloha  ..  ..  ..

                    by dolphin777 on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:07:55 PM PDT

                •  Yes, was being a wiseass

                  Had actually read the obits. Actually, the NYT obit said something about him becoming increasingly involved in political causes in the past few years, but didn't say which ones. Does anyone know?

                  by gracchus on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:07:43 PM PDT

                  •  After consulting "the Google", IMO LA Times

                    obit better than NYT!

                    Anti war protestor Scheider ( Viet Nam and Iraq!) was among activists lying in highway [2004] expressing their ire at Dubya's war!!

                    A pretty good fan site also: http://royscheider.net

                    "French Connection" showing as well on TV!!

                    Aloha  ..  ..  ..

                    by dolphin777 on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:23:17 PM PDT

                    •  Duh

                      should have thought of that...LA Times obits on movie actors almost always better than the NYT's, for obvious reasons.

                      by gracchus on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:28:44 PM PDT

                      •  Fascinating trivia tidbit: Former boxer Scheider

                        learned to dance for "All That Jazz"!! Reviewers said he "became Fosse from the inside out".

                        P.S. Nevah won an Oscar!!

                        Aloha  ..  ..  ..

                        by dolphin777 on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:46:23 PM PDT

          •  in 1965

            a woman named Margaret Howe lived in a half submerged house with dolphins, and tunnels on St. Thomas. Dolphin tunnels are amazing, yet old hat. Or else margaret Howe and Dr. John C Lilly were way ahead of their time.

            by Loonesta on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:46:21 PM PDT

          •  Umm, I'd think if ANYONE would know . . . nt

            by sxwarren on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:48:24 PM PDT

      •  And actual view times

        in your longitude (chart, about 1/3 down the page)

        by Orj ozeppi on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:20:33 PM PDT

  •  maybe they moved it up!!!!

    by citizenx on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 05:55:16 PM PDT

    •  Well then

      the lunar delegates ought to not count either!

      by buzzsaw on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:09:34 PM PDT

      •  Should be comment of the day. nt

        by sxwarren on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:51:27 PM PDT

  •  And we're supposed to have rain...

    damn.

    by highacidity on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 05:57:43 PM PDT

    •  Likewise -it's precipitatering here

      as we speaketh :[[[[~

      (I could drive 6000ft up the mt in about 45minutes, but then it'll probably be snowcipitating..)~

      by Orj ozeppi on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:28:59 PM PDT

      •  However, Wednesday night sez

        "patchy clouds" ... so who knows?

        (Thurs = "snow, turning to rain")  grrrrr...

        by Orj ozeppi on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 07:13:32 PM PDT

•  not tonight, tomorrow night :) (n/t)

  by 808 on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 05:48:20 PM PDT

•  This is like

  a Republican spreading rumors about voting day changes!  :)

  by socratic on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 05:49:53 PM PDT

  •  Or maybe a flat-earther

    by kbman on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 05:56:35 PM PDT

•  I also heard that the General Election voting

  will be held on the first WEDNESDAY in November this year. /snark

  by demotarian on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 05:54:32 PM PDT

•  Interestingly enought

  we're going to try to shoot down USA-193 during the eclipse.

  Since the beginning of time man has yearned to destroy the sun moon. I will do the next best thing...block it out shoot it down!

  MWAHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

  by calipygian on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 05:56:45 PM PDT

  •  It would be kinda cool to see the explosion

    right in the center of the umbra at the peak of the eclipse.  Although it probably wouldn't show up as much more than a sparkle pony fart.

    by sxwarren on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:54:41 PM PDT

•  Be nice now.

  We have 24 hours notice. Speaking for myself, I probably wouldn't have found out about it until it was on the late news tomorrow night. So my thanks to the diaryist, even though he or she was a bit off.

  by MizC on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:00:05 PM PDT

•  Total solar eclipses visible in East Asia

  both in August and in July 2009. I'm a little excited...the last time I saw a solar eclipse, back in the late 1970s, it was overcast and winter, so all that happened is the clouds got a little darker. There weren't any classes in school, but my parents had to work, so I basically sat around in the classroom with the five or six other kids whose parents didn't keep them home or take them out to view it, or whatever.

  by gracchus on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:01:19 PM PDT

•  This morning a meteor lit up the west

  http://greatfallstribune.com/...

  Apparently, it landed SW of Spokane, somewhere.

  by MTmofo on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:02:00 PM PDT

  •  And almost immediately cows began tipping over

    in the area for no apparent reason.

    by sxwarren on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:57:31 PM PDT

•  WEDNESDAY night is the eclipse

  Here's all you need to know about watching Wednesdaynight's total eclipse, from the great Sky&Telescope magazine.

  by richardbelldc on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:03:32 PM PDT

•  Actually, the moon will be red from the...

  Obamassacre in Hawaii and Wisconsin.  

  by HillarysWar on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:11:15 PM PDT

•  Every now and then...

  I get a total eclipse of the heart.  Just thought Dkos should know.

  by siamesewonka on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:38:09 PM PDT

  •  There are OTC meds for that now, y'know. nt

    by sxwarren on Tue Feb 19, 2008 at 06:58:57 PM PDT