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10-27-2004, 07:37 PM
Total Lunar Eclipse to Be Visible Over Series, Most of World
Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) -- At least one thing will happen during 2004's World Series that's never happened before -- a total lunar eclipse.
The moon will begin slipping into the Earth's shadow at about 9:14 p.m. New York time today, beginning a 3 1/2-hour event visible from Alaska to Afghanistan.
It will be visible in St. Louis, where the Cardinals are in a do-or-die fight in game four of a best-of-seven series with the Boston Red Sox for Major League Baseball's championship. It will be the last lunar eclipse of the year and the last total eclipse until February 2008.
``The moon passes into the Earth's shadow and most of the sunlight is blocked from the moon,'' said Fred Espenak, an astrophysicist with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Scientists sometimes observe lunar eclipses to determine the quality of the Earth's atmosphere. The moon tonight will appear dark red to bright red, depending on the amount of volcanic dust or ash in the atmosphere, Espenak said. Although the volcano Mount St. Helens in Washington has been active recently, the emissions have mostly been water vapor, he said.
``It takes on a reddish color because the Earth's atmosphere filters the little light that does remain and reaches the moon. It gives it quite an astounding appearance,'' Espenak said in a telephone interview.
Lunacy
However, there is little evidence of any connection between lunar eclipses and events on Earth.
``Some civilizations, some people still hold superstitious beliefs with respect to the eclipses and believe that they have effects on pregnancies or on the mental health of people,'' Espenak said. ``But there's no scientific evidence to indicate that the moon has any effect on us other than a psychological one.''
An eclipse can only take place when the moon is full and is safe to view with the eye. People interested in viewing the event should go to a local park or a place where lights won't obstruct the view and hope for clear weather, Espenak said.
The eastern two-thirds of the U.S., Canada and central and South America will be able to see the full eclipse, and West Coast residents will be able to view most of the event after sunset. It will be visible in western Europe in the early morning of Oct. 28. The sun will rise about midway through the eclipse in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia.
Into the Umbra
A lunar eclipse begins when the moon enters the penumbra, or the lighter, outer part of the Earth's shadow. It then crosses into the umbra, the darker, inner part of the shadow. An eclipse is considered total when the entire moon passes through the umbra.
The total eclipse is expected to begin at 10:23 p.m. Eastern time and last about an hour. The last total lunar eclipse took place on May 4 and was visible from Europe, Africa and central Asia. The last total eclipse visible from the entire continental U.S. occurred on Nov. 9.
Today's eclipse will be the second this year and the fourth in the past two years. There can be as many as three lunar eclipses every year, with the last triple-eclipse year coming in 1982. There will have been 7,718 lunar eclipses from 2000 B.C. through the year 3000.
``One of the nice things about this one is it's taking place at a time of year when it's not that cold out, so you can go out and appreciate it without having to wear a snowmobile suit,'' Espenak said. ``I've been referring to this as the prime time eclipse because it takes place at a very convenient time.''
Last Updated: October 27, 2004 09:26 EDT
Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) -- At least one thing will happen during 2004's World Series that's never happened before -- a total lunar eclipse.
The moon will begin slipping into the Earth's shadow at about 9:14 p.m. New York time today, beginning a 3 1/2-hour event visible from Alaska to Afghanistan.
It will be visible in St. Louis, where the Cardinals are in a do-or-die fight in game four of a best-of-seven series with the Boston Red Sox for Major League Baseball's championship. It will be the last lunar eclipse of the year and the last total eclipse until February 2008.
``The moon passes into the Earth's shadow and most of the sunlight is blocked from the moon,'' said Fred Espenak, an astrophysicist with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Scientists sometimes observe lunar eclipses to determine the quality of the Earth's atmosphere. The moon tonight will appear dark red to bright red, depending on the amount of volcanic dust or ash in the atmosphere, Espenak said. Although the volcano Mount St. Helens in Washington has been active recently, the emissions have mostly been water vapor, he said.
``It takes on a reddish color because the Earth's atmosphere filters the little light that does remain and reaches the moon. It gives it quite an astounding appearance,'' Espenak said in a telephone interview.
Lunacy
However, there is little evidence of any connection between lunar eclipses and events on Earth.
``Some civilizations, some people still hold superstitious beliefs with respect to the eclipses and believe that they have effects on pregnancies or on the mental health of people,'' Espenak said. ``But there's no scientific evidence to indicate that the moon has any effect on us other than a psychological one.''
An eclipse can only take place when the moon is full and is safe to view with the eye. People interested in viewing the event should go to a local park or a place where lights won't obstruct the view and hope for clear weather, Espenak said.
The eastern two-thirds of the U.S., Canada and central and South America will be able to see the full eclipse, and West Coast residents will be able to view most of the event after sunset. It will be visible in western Europe in the early morning of Oct. 28. The sun will rise about midway through the eclipse in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia.
Into the Umbra
A lunar eclipse begins when the moon enters the penumbra, or the lighter, outer part of the Earth's shadow. It then crosses into the umbra, the darker, inner part of the shadow. An eclipse is considered total when the entire moon passes through the umbra.
The total eclipse is expected to begin at 10:23 p.m. Eastern time and last about an hour. The last total lunar eclipse took place on May 4 and was visible from Europe, Africa and central Asia. The last total eclipse visible from the entire continental U.S. occurred on Nov. 9.
Today's eclipse will be the second this year and the fourth in the past two years. There can be as many as three lunar eclipses every year, with the last triple-eclipse year coming in 1982. There will have been 7,718 lunar eclipses from 2000 B.C. through the year 3000.
``One of the nice things about this one is it's taking place at a time of year when it's not that cold out, so you can go out and appreciate it without having to wear a snowmobile suit,'' Espenak said. ``I've been referring to this as the prime time eclipse because it takes place at a very convenient time.''
Last Updated: October 27, 2004 09:26 EDT