Mother Nature may block our view

Ah nuts, once again it seems Podunkians will be denied one of the few free shows left in the world.

Later this evening, in those parts of the world where the clouds do not gather there will be a total eclipse of the moon available for the viewing. Expected to begin around 7 pm Pacific time, tonights event will be the last opportunity to view a total eclipse of the moon until December 20, 2010. Unlike the solar eclipse, the lunar variety can be viewed with the naked eye without fear of damage to your eyesight.

As an added bonus for those that like to watch the sky, there's the added possibility of the shooting down of a failing satellite, a controversial bit of pro-activeness by the US Navy, that may see streaking pieces of space trash burning up in the atmosphere.

As for the more predictable events, the eclipse will also serve to accentuate a couple of the moons background neighbours, Saturn with its numerous rings will be easily seen with a telescope while the bright star Regulus will also be easily picked out of the night time sky.

Well, at least it will be easily noticed in those areas where the skies are clear, apparently not a scenario in place for the North Coast as the Environment Canada forecast is for overcast skies and showers through the evening and overnight hours.

There's a clearing trend for Thursday, so maybe with a little luck the skies will clear a little early to give us a shot a seeing the show.

Associated Press--Total eclipse of moon occurs Wednesday night
Arizona Republic--Omens, evil dragons, Red Sox wins: What will lunar eclipse bring today?
National Post--Space show: satellite shot and a total lunar eclipse
USA Today--Viewers Guide to the Lunar eclipse
AFP--Get ready for the eclipse that saved Columbus
Sky and Telescope--Tonight's Eclipse of the Moon
Nasa--Eclipse home page
Science and Technology--Lunar Eclipse Overview
Live Science--Total Lunar Eclipse Tonight

Geez if it's not the clouds, it's the stinkin' mountain!

As we wait to see if Mother Nature will cooperate, the countdown is on until the Total Lunar eclipse, as the Earth's shadow passes over a full moon, the second total lunar eclipse of the year.

Reported to be best seen in Western Canada, the timing of the eclipse comes with the arrival of a weather system that is destined to bring rain and wind to the North coast.

It's a race for sky watchers to see if the infusion of clouds will hold off until after the overnight period.

The time frame for the eclipse tonight is; a beginning face at 1:51 a.m. PT and ending at 5:24 a.m. PT, with the total eclipse beginning at 2:52 a.m. and ending at 4:22 a.m.

Podunkians on the city side of Mount Hays will be hoping that the Moon rises high enough by that time to put on a show, clouds permitting of course!

Should we be denied by Nature, NASA will pick up the slack at their website.

Total lunar eclipse to happen early Tuesday morning
Last Updated: Monday, August 27, 2007 2:15 PM ET
CBC News

Western Canadians will have the best view early Tuesday morning as the Earth's shadow passes over a full moon, the second total lunar eclipse of the year.

Five months ago when the moon was over the Atlantic Ocean, people in Atlantic Canada, Europe and Africa got to witness the moon turn a dim copper hue.

This time the moon — now over the Pacific — will be viewable in North and South America and eastern Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

An eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the sun and the moon, blocking the moon from direct light from the sun. It's rare because the moon is usually either above or below the plane of Earth's orbit.

The entire eclipse, as the Earth's shadow creeps across the moon until it totally blocks it, takes about 3½ hours, with the total eclipse lasting about 90 minutes. The moon still gets some sunlight through indirect rays of light refracted through the Earth's atmosphere, and this accounts for the red hue of the moon.

The eclipse will be viewable across Canada, but those in the West will have the longest opportunity to view the moon change colour.

The partial eclipse will begin at 1:51 a.m. PT and end at 5:24 a.m. PT, with the total eclipse beginning at 2:52 a.m. and ending at 4:22 a.m.

Skywatchers in the eastern time zone will only have a brief opportunity to see the total eclipse — which begins at 5:52 a.m. ET — before the sun rises and the moon sets.

The weather forecast across the country calls for mostly clear skies except in Winnipeg, which is expecting cloudy conditions, and Saskatchewan, where possible showers are expected.

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The next total lunar eclipse will be Feb. 21, 2008, according to the NASA eclipse home page.

Related

Atlantic skywatchers awed by lunar eclipse

External Links
NASA eclipse home page

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