Moon Eclipse Perfect for Maine Sky Watchers
Contact: Alan Davenport, 581-1341; George Manlove, 581-3756
ORONO — Here comes a total eclipse of the moon, perfectly timed for Maine viewers.
UMaine’s Maynard F. Jordan Observatory will open for the eclipse on Wednesday night and welcomes all visitors who would like to see the eclipsing moon through the university’s telescope, in addition to the unaided eye. Weather permitting, the observatory will be open and admission is free from 8:30-11 p.m.
“This event is wonderful to see from the back yard with no optics, but it is also fun to watch the lunar mountains and craters as they move into the shroud of Earth’s shadow,” says Maynard F. Jordan Planetarium Director Alan Davenport. A student staff will be on hand to answer questions and hand out information leaflets.
The eclipse starts when the moon rises in the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 20, and many schools are closed so students can stay up late to enjoy it. Davenport says area stargazers may recall the lunar eclipse last fall did not cooperate very well, and was seen only briefly as the moon set in the morning twilight. The next lunar eclipse for Maine will not occur until the end of 2010, so sky watchers are hoping for good weather Wednesday night.
The Jordan Planetarium in Wingate Hall also is featuring a moon show, “Moon Shadows,” on Saturdays this month, and will offer a matinee showing Wednesday at 1 p.m. in anticipation of the lunar eclipse. Reservations for that Feb. 20 star theater program are recommended and can be made by calling 581-1341. Admission is $3 per person.
Davenport says many people assume that the phases of the moon are caused by the Earth’s shadow falling on it. That is only the case, however, during lunar eclipses. This image of the partially eclipsed Moon clearly shows the edge of Earth’s shadow and how much larger it is than the Moon’s phase shadows.
When the eclipse starts Wednesday, the full moon will make contact with the dark shadow of the Earth, beginning a partial eclipse at 8:42 p.m. The total eclipse occurs when the moon becomes entirely darkened at 10 p.m. and lasts until 10:51 p.m. At that point, the moon begins to exit the shadow, eventually returning to its brilliant full phase at 12:09 a.m.
“During totality, our natural satellite will be spookily dark but visible in the deep orange glow from earth’s atmosphere,” says Davenport. “Eclipse watchers are always anxious to see what brightness and color the Moon will wear when in totality, because it is different every time.”
The Earth’s atmosphere bends the Sun’s red light around the curved edge of the Earth, he explains. The exact color of the glow and its darkness depend on the aerosol levels in our atmosphere. It is affected by recent volcano eruptions, cloud cover, storm activity and human pollution around the globe.
Nearby, the moon, the planet Saturn and the bright star Regulus in Leo the Lion will beam brightly during the total eclipse, Davenport says, and telescopes can capture other deep space objects during that dark 51 minutes of totality.
For more information, contact Alan Davenport at the University of Maine Maynard F. Jordan Planetarium at 581-1341, or visit the planetarium website at www.galaxymaine.com.