Lunar Eclipse on June 15 2011

The eclipse will last for nearly six hours, but won't be viewable from North America.

By Space.comMon, Jun 13 2011 at 9:33 AM EST

    

BLOOD RED MOON: A total lunar eclipse is seen as the full moon is shadowed by the Earth on the arrival of the winter solstice, Tuesday, December 21, 2010 in Arlington, Va. (Photo: NASA)

The longest total lunar eclipse since July 2000 will occur on Wednesday (June 15), with skywatchers in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Australia in prime position to witness the lunar treat.

 The event is the first lunar eclipse of 2011 and one of two total lunar eclipses this year. The eclipse, which will occur during June's full moon, will begin at 1:24 p.m. EDT (1724 GMT) and last until 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT), but it will not be visible from North America.

 

For observers in regions where it will be visible, the eclipse could offer an amazing sight: the period of totality will be 100 minutes. In the last 100 years, only three other eclipses have rivaled the duration of totality of this eclipse, according to SPACE.com's skywatching columnist Joe Rao. The last lunar eclipse of similar length occured on July 16, 2000 and lasted 107 minutes.

 

"The entire event will be seen from the eastern half of Africa, the Middle East, central Asia and western Australia," stated the NASA Eclipse Website of the June 15 event. "Observers throughout Europe will miss the early stages of the eclipse because they occur before moonrise."

 

Total eclipse of the moon

Total lunar eclipses occur when the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, casting a deep shadow through which the moon then travels. [Blood Moon: 2010 Total Lunar Eclipse Photos]

 

"From the Earth, the moon will appear to darken and turn a deep red before eventually returning to normal," explained NASA officials at the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., in an advisory. "When light from the sun goes by the side of the Earth, it passes through a long and thick layer of Earth's atmosphere. Shorter wavelengths of sunlight, like blue, are scattered by the atmosphere, so by the time the light has finished its trip to the moon, more of the longer wavelengths, like red, are left over. On the Earth, the same thing happens at sunset as the ground you stand on gradually passes into night."

 

Unlike their solar counterparts, lunar eclipses are safe to view without any special protective glasses or equipment.

 

Countries in prime viewing position

According to NASA's eclipse website, Wednesday's total lunar eclipse will be visible during its peak to skywatchers throughout Europe, with the exception of Scotland and northern Scandinavia.

 

In eastern South America, Western Europe and the west coast of Africa, the eclipse will occur Wednesday evening, according to Rao. Skywatchers in eastern Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina have a chance to see the lunar eclipse during its total stage, NASA officials said.

 

But for some countries, the event will be visible in the wee hours of Thursday because the eclipse's region of visibility crosses the International Date Line. The early Thursday viewing times apply to observers in central Siberia, eastern Mongolia, northeast China, and most of Japan, Korea, New Guinea, eastern Australia and New Zealand, Rao explained.

 

"Eastern Asia, eastern Australia, and New Zealand will miss the last stages of eclipse because they occur after moonset," the NASA Eclipse Website advisory stated.

 

Wednesday's lunar eclipse is part of a rare three-eclipse series of events occurring in June and early July. It follows the June 1 partial solar eclipse and comes before another partial solar eclipse, which will occur on July 1 but only be visible from a remote region near Antarctica.

 

The second lunar eclipse of 2011 will occur on Dec. 10 and will also be a total lunar eclipse. That even should be visible from the western United States and Canada.

 

This article was reprinted with permission from SPACE.com.

Healing Moon Tonight

Tonight's full Moon is the Healing Moon.  Take a moment to gaze at the Moon and visualize loving white energy healing all your sorrows and woes.

April's Healing Moon

Say the following quatrain 3 times aloud...

Loving Moon shining bright,

fill me with your radiant light.

Bestow upon me your blessing,

healing with your cosmic energy.

                                                                                 

Then soak up all that wonderful healing energy!  Feel free to add your own spells and rituals, making magic personal and truly yours gives you better results.  Remember to thank the Moon for her blessing.

How will you work with the Healing Moon?

Jessica

The day after the Super Moon...

Wow!  The "Super Moon" lived up to all the hype.  I thought I would share these photos taken by fellow Albuquerque-an Alix King.  He has an amazing eye and was able to create some stunning images. 

Full Moon Rising Over Sandias 3.19.2011

© Alix King 2011

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alixking/5542012142/

The Sandia Mountains are west of the city.  I love this shot because you can see the mountains silhouetted on the moon's face and the lights of the city look so small.  Helps to put things in perspective for me spiritually.

Full Moon Setting Over Lomas Blvd. 3.19.2011

© Alix King 2011
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alixking/5540109976/

I like the juxtaposition of the two worlds, the urban and the mystical. 

Did you get any photos of the "Super Moon"?  Or were you too busy dancing under it's glow?

Also...

Happy Ostara!

Curious about this pagan holiday?  Find out more here.

Jessica

Super Moon Tonight!

Don't miss tonight's "Super Moon".

The full moon of March 2011, as it appeared to skywatcher Dmtriy S. Benbau in Ekaterinburg, Russia in the early-morning hours of March 19.

CREDIT: Dmtriy S. Benbau

Why is it a "Super Moon" 
"On 19 March, the full moon will appear unusually large in the night sky as it reaches a point in its cycle known as 'lunar perigee'.

Stargazers will be treated to a spectacular view when the moon approaches Earth at a distance of 221,567 miles in its elliptical orbit - the closest it will... have passed to our planet since 1992.

The full moon could appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter in the sky, especially when it rises on the eastern horizon at sunset or is provided with the right atmospheric conditions."  space.com


Wow!  The universe is just amazing.  Will you be moon gazing this evening?

Leonid Meteor Shower

Since I am a Leo I thought I would point out the amazing leonid meteor shower that is taking place right now!

The Leonid meteor shower of 2010 is peaking this week and the best time to see the sky show is now.

The annual Leonids should be at their best through Nov. 18, according to skywatching experts. Avid meteor gazers graced with clear skies may see between 15 and 20 meteors per hour.

Skywatchers should look toward the constellation Leo in the eastern sky to see "shooting stars" from the Leonids, which appear to radiate out of the constellation. The best time to try to see the Leonids are in the last two or three hours before sunrise, when the moon has set.

"From the time of moonset until around 5:15 a.m. -- when the first streaks of dawn begin to appear in the east -- the sky will be dark and moonless," advises Joe Rao, SPACE.com skywatching columnist. "That interval will provide you with your best opportunity to see any Leonid meteors."

Another tip: Make sure to stay warm and get comfortable.

"If you have a lawn chair that reclines, use it during your search for Leonid meteors since it will help keep your neck from getting stiff as well as make it easier to look at the night sky," Rao said.

The Leonid meteor shower is an annual event that returns every mid-November. The shower is caused by material left behind the comet Tempel-Tuttle when it passes near Earth's orbit during its regular trip through the solar system. [Top 10 Leonid Meteor Shower Facts]

When the Earth passes through these knots of comet material, the gas and dust flares up in the atmosphere, creating spectacular meteors.

Every 33 years, the Earth encounters a dense knot of material -- most recently in 2002 -- to create dazzling displays of shooting stars. During those showers, it can be possible to see hundreds or thousands of meteors per hour.

That isn't the case this year because the Earth is passing through a less dense area of Comet Tempel-Tuttle's trail, Rao said.

Still, the Leonids retain a reputation for offering impressive meteor displays.

But with fewer meteors expected this year, you may want to travel a bit to find the best spot. Meteor-gazing from a rooftop in suburbia doesn't always offer the best view.

"For your best view, get away from city lights. Look for state or city parks or other safe, dark sites," advise the editors of StarDate magazine at the McDonald Observatory in Texas. "Lie on a blanket or reclining chair to get a full-sky view. If you can see all of the stars in the Little Dipper, you have good dark-adapted vision."

Harvest Moon, Jupiter, equinox on September 23

Harvest Moon, Jupiter, equinox on September 23

September 23rd, 2010 - Tonight
The Harvest Moon and the blazing planet Jupiter shine all night long tonight to commemorate the first full night of the autumn season. By common practice, we use the September equinox to mark the start of autumn, and call the closest full moon to the autumnal equinox the Full Harvest Moon. In 2010, the Harvest Moon comes only 6 hours after the September equinox.

If you live in the southern hemisphere, the September equinox signals the beginning of spring, and this full moon counts as the first full moon of spring.
The September equinox falls on Thursday, September 23, at 3:09 Universal Time. Converting the equinox time to North American clocks, that places the equinox on Wednesday, September 22, at 11:09 p.m. Eastern Time, 10:09 p.m. Central Time, 9:09 p.m. Mountain Time and 8:09 p.m. Pacific Time. For more on the equinox see yesterday’s program.

For the moon and Jupiter to shine all night long on any equinox, these three events – the opposition of Jupiter, the equinox and full moon – all have to happen in close conjunction. In 2010, the three events follow one another like falling dominos, with the whole procession taking less than two days time.

September 2010 presents the only time in your lifetime that you’ll be able to witness the moon and Jupiter’s simultaneous all-night appearance on the equinox. On this the first full night of autumn, watch the Harvest Moon and Jupiter as they sail westward across the sky tonight!

http://earthsky.org/tonight/harvest-moon-jupiter-highlight-first-few-nights-of-autumn?ref=nf