Total lunar eclipse August 28th 2007 visible where?

The total lunar eclipse on August 28th is going to be best seen from anywhere within the Pacific rim, and visible from India to the United States east coast.

In Japan and Australia, the lunar eclipse happens at sunset.

On the US west coast, the drama starts near midnight with totality lasting from 02.52 am until 04.22 am PDT) So it will make for a interesting mix of early morning sunrise and the end of the overall lunar eclipse.

In more northern latitudes like Canada you should be able to see how the moon enters the shadow of the earth right up to the end of this total eclipse but then when the moon exits the shadow, emerging daylight will be too bright to appreciate the finale.

In Australasia the eclipse occurs during sunset. New Zealand, Australia’s east coast, the Pacific islands, Hawaii and the west coast of North and South Americas should see all of it.

In Venezuela for example, the eclipse starts in the middle of the night but the sunrise lights up the sky later so that gradually you will not be able to see the shadowed moon anymore.

Astronomy for beginners Perseids video

Aurigid Meteor Shower – astronomy for beginners

I originally wrote “a punt at Astronomy for beginners” because quite honestly nobody knows, either in the amateur astronomy or professional worlds, whether there will be anything to see or not.

So you have just as good a chance as anybody.

The date coming up fast is September 1st, 2007. If all goes well, a flurry of meteors, bright and weirdly coloured could be on its way from the Auriga constellation, putting on a gorgeous early morning spectacle for sky gazers.

The potential source of the Aurigid meteor shower is the remains of a Comet called “Kiess” or numbered C/1911 N1. It’s what’s known as a long-period comet due to the fact that it last visited our honoured planet 2090 years ago! All that’s left of that pre-christian era visit is a trail of dusty debris, slowly drifting back towards our own orbit again. On September the first, the trail of dust should intersect with the Earth and cause particles to enter our atmosphere, creating the show of shooting stars.

The only trouble is, we don’t know what the debris is made of, so we can’t predict how it will behave in contact with the atmosphere. We just know the timing of it, and quite accurately too thanks to calculations made at Mountain View, California – (no, not Google!)

Peter Jenniskens of the SETI Institute explained that the Aurigid meteor show, if it’s going to happen at all, will peak at around 11:36 UT (4:36 a.m. PDT) plus or minus twenty minutes on September 1st, 2007. The entire show or no show will last for around two hours and should be viewable from California, Oregon, Hawaii and the eastern Pacific Ocean in the United States, as well as other areas in that hemisphere.

Astronomy for beginners would love to hear from anybody who sees a meteor shower on that date – or even if you were watching and saw nothing.

Astronomy for beginners – Lunar eclipse

It is appropriate that the Astronomy for beginners blog launches at a time when there is likely to be an increased interest in all things astronomical as a result of a rare event coming around on the calendar.

Rare total eclipse of the moon

Early evening on August 28th 2007 the event will be one of the most spectacular sights in astronomy. For beginners especially, it provides a valuable opportunity to experience an astronomical event with the naked eye, or a good pair of binoculars.

A total lunar eclipse takes place at full moon if the moon passes through some portion of the Earth’s shadow. This will happen on the 28th, visible from last parts of the Earth including the pacific Ocean, large parts of Western United States and Canada, and some of Australasia and East Asia.

The most impressive part for viewers starts as the moon’s leading edge enters the Earth’s shadow. Over the next hour or so, the moon slowly slips into total darkness.

So what’s the difference between a lunar eclipse and just an ordinary night with no moon?

The moon doesn’t go completely black as if it’s not there. It’s in shadow from the direct light from the Sun, because the Earth is positioned right in the way. But this allows the ambient light from other sources, normally too dim to be seen, to shine gently through. So people may see an amazing sight. As the eclipse progresses, the moon’s surface can take on an eerie pink or copper color.

The moon can actually take on a whole range of colors, changing as the phenomenon unfolds. Anything from dark brown and red to bright orange and yellow. The colors are affected by the amout of dust and cloud present in the upper atmosphere, which can never be predicted. This is not just man made pollution we are talking about, but dust from natural weather patterns and residiual effects from volcanic activity.

So if you are living in the path of the lunar eclipse, Astonomy for beginners  wishes you the very best weather opportunity on Tuesday night. There won’t be another one until the year 2010.