In case you have somehow missed it, there is a lunar eclipse tonight, the first and only total lunar eclipse 2010. The next lunar eclipse won’t be until 2014! Tonight also marks the Winter Solstice 2010…it’s a Winter Solstice lunar eclipse!
The lunar eclipse 2010 time will occur in the middle of the night for most people in the U.S. As a point of reference, the lunar eclipse December 2010 time will occur on the East Coast somewhere between 1:29am and 5:00am.
The lunar eclipse December 2010 will last for 72 minutes, and will make the moon completely red. An estimated 1.5 billion people around the world should be able to see it, but considering how late it is happening in the United States, most kids and worn-out parents will probably miss it, as they will be fast asleep!
Are you watching the total lunar eclipse 2010 even though the time isn’t exactly ideal?
source : http://blogs.babble.com/famecrawler/2010/12/20/lunar-eclipse-2010-time-lunar-eclipse-tonight-finds-most-people-asleep/
Happy Winter Solstice and Full Lunar Eclipse!
Tonight is the winter solstice — the shortest day of the year and a time that has long been associated with the rebirth of the sun. This year’s celestial event will coincide with a full lunar eclipse for the first time in 456 years.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon completely passes behind the earth so that the earth blocks the sun’s rays from striking the moon. As a result the moon is cast in spectacular shades of red and orange.
The eclipse will start just after midnight, with the total eclipse occuring at 3:17 a.m., finishing at 5:30 a.m., when the moon reappears.
The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission’s William D. McDowell Observatory is open to the public tonight for an up-close view of the astronomical happening.
The free program is open to all ages, and starts at 11:30 p.m. with an information session on eclipses. Visitors will have a chance to view the eclipse and the night sky through the Observatory’s state-of-the art 20-inch-diameter telescope. For more information, click here, or call 201-460-8300.
The William D. McDowell Observatory is located in DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst. Visitors to the Observatory must be able to climb 25 steps, and all children must be accompanied by an adult.
