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February 21, 2008

Photos: Did you see the eclipse?

AP/Photo

A sequence of images taken approximately every twenty minutes show the moon passing through the shadow of the earth as photographed in Toronto Wednesday Feb. 20, 2008. A total lunar eclipse, can only occur on a full moon, when the moon passes through the shadow of the earth.

If you missed last night's total lunar eclipse, you've got plenty of time to prepare for the next one -- almost three years.

In Rhode Island, the weather was fickle but in Providence. At least, the skies cleared just in time to see the the moon move into the darker part of the earth's shadow, the umbra.

At about 10 p.m., the moon moved into position almost directly opposite of the sun on the other side of the earth.

The moon's surface turned rust-colored; a result of light bending through the earth's atmosphere and scattering, leaving the longer wavelength red light to hit the moon.

In effect, a reflection of all the world's sunsets.

The next chance for North America to catch a total lunar eclipse? December 10, 2010.

-- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson

Posted by Brandie Jefferson  at 7:41 AM | Permalink

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