2/16/2008

Total Lunar Eclipse to Occur Wednesday

UCTP Taíno News - A total eclipse of the Moon will occur during the night of Wednesday, February 20/21, 2008. The entire celestial event will be 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.
According to NASA 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 said to actually be 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 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.

UCTPTN 01.16.2008

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1 comment:

  1. Anonymous1:37 PM

    I only saw the first part of it.

    ReplyDelete