FLORIDA'S CAPE CANAVERAL (AP) - You had better watch out for the moon's disappearing act on Tuesday since it won't happen again for three years.
The total lunar eclipse will be visible across Asia, Australia, and the rest of the Pacific after sunset, and throughout North America in the early morning hours (the further west, the better). As an added bonus, Uranus, which like a bright star, will be visible barely a finger's width above the moon.
Earth will pass directly between the moon and the sun for nearly 1 1/2 hours, from 5:16 to 6:41 a.m. EST.
It will be referred to as a "blood moon" and will be a reddish-orange color due to the light from Earth's sunsets and sunrises. NASA researchers estimate that the moon will be 242,740 miles (390,653 kilometers) away at the time of maximum eclipse. If the sky is clear, binoculars and telescopes will improve viewing.
If the weather cooperates, South America will see the lunar eclipse on Tuesday. Africa, the Middle East, and the majority of Europe will have to wait until 2025 if they decide to withdraw totally.
Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles and the Italian-based Virtual Telescope Project are two of the organizations streaming Tuesday's lunar spectacular live online.
This year has seen two complete lunar eclipses; the first occurred in May. It won't happen again until 2025. There will be many partial lunar eclipses to choose from in the interim.
The Department of Science Education of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute provides funding to the Associated Press Health and Science Department. All content is the exclusive responsibility of the AP.
Posts
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
