Title: TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE
Location: Hawaiian Islands, North America, Eastern Polynesea
Date / Time: Dec. 20-21, 2010
Comments: There will be a TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE on Dec. 20-21, visible throughout the Hawaiian Islands, and throughout nearly all of North America (as well as Tahiti, Easter Island, and the Marquesas). It occurs on December 21, "universal time," which is the night of December 20th in Hawaii. This is the first lunar eclipse in three years. The full Moon will rise as the Sun sets. (Lunar eclipses only occur during a full Moon). From Hawaii, the lunar eclipse technically starts at 7:30 PM Hawaiian Standard Time (Dec. 20th), as the Moon starts to enter the faint outer shadow of the Earth (penumbra). However, you will not notice any darkening of the Moon until at least 8:30 PM HST when the Moon begins to enter the deep inner shadow of the Earth, the umbra. By 9:40 PM HST on Dec. 20th, the Moon will be entirely in the Earth's inner shadow, as the TOTALITY phase of the eclipse begins By this time, the Moon should be dramatically darker and will appear RED. This phase, TOTALITY, with the Moon completely within the Earth's umbra, will last until 10:52 PM HST. The Moon will then start to leave the umbra & begin to lighten. By midnight, the Moon will be entirely out of the dark inner shadow & will look like a regular full Moon. Technically, this eclipse ends at 1:03 AM HST on Dec. 21st, as the Moon leaves the penumbra completely. Lunar eclipses occur when the Earth comes in between the Moon and Sun. The Earth blocks most of the light coming from the Sun & stops that light from hitting the Moon. However, the longer wavelengths of red light from the Sun do make it through the Earth?s atmosphere and continue on to strike the Moon. Thus, during lunar eclipses the Moon turns an eerie shade of red. This eclipse will be total over nearly all of North America. TOTALITY, which will last 72 minutes, begins & end at the following times in these locations/time zones: PACIFIC (Seattle, San Francisco, LA) - Dec. 20th, begins at 11:40PM PST & lasts until 12:52AM PST on Dec. 21st. *** MOUNTAIN (Denver) - begins at 12:40AM MST, Dec. 21st & lasts until 1:52AM. *** Central (Chicago) ? begins at 1:40AM CST, Dec.21st, & lasts until 2:52AM. *** Eastern (New York, Miami) ? begins at 2:40AM EST, Dec. 21st, & lasts until 2:52AM. **** Courtesy of Bishop Museum Planetarium www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium (bishopmuseum.org). For more details, feel free to contact me directly roz@rozhome.com

Maintained by Roz Reiner - Kauai, Hawaii

 

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