About twice a year, a lunar eclipse is visible somewhere on Earth. Next Tuesday morning, March 3, it's Cincinnati's turn.
Cincinnati Observatory Astronomer Wes Ryle says a lunar eclipse is when the Earth passes between the sun and the moon. He says this event will be a total eclipse, making the moon appear red.
“You would think that if the moon is completely in the Earth’s shadow that it would be completely dark, but what’s happening is some of the light from the sun is getting through the atmosphere and bending back towards the moon’s surface,” he says. “That red color that you’re seeing is actually the same reason that our sunsets or our sunrises appear red. The atmosphere actually kind of selectively bends the red light back onto the moon’s surface.”
Ryle says provided the skies are clear, there will be a watch party at the Observatory in Mount Lookout.
“The eclipse itself starts at about 4:50 [a.m]. That’s where you’ll see the darker part of the Earth’s shadow start to creep across the moon’s surface. Totality — where it will turn that red hue — happens at about 6:04 a.m.,” he says. “As long as it’s clear, we’ll have the Observatory open. We’ll have the historic 1845 Mitchell telescope on the moon as well as some portable telescopes.”
Ryle says special equipment isn’t necessary to see the eclipse.
“If you wanted to enjoy this from your backyard, you definitely can, just step outside take a look toward the western horizon, and see this with your own eyes, or maybe grab a pair of binoculars,” he says. “You’re going to see the same features that you would normally see on the moon, but you’re going to be able to make out that reddish color and you’ll be able to see different features on the moon’s surface slowly sink into that shadow, which is kind of a neat perspective."
He says Cincinnati will see a near-total eclipse in August. That one, he says, will start before midnight.
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