Tonight is a total lunar eclipse, starting around 11pm, with totality around midnight. There’s a great description of it by Brian Webb’s Launch Alert newsletter below.
LAUNCH ALERT
Brian Webb, Ventura County, California
launch-alert-editor@earthlink.net www.spacearchive.info
2014 April 13 (Sunday) 11:28 PDT
TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE
by Brian Webb
If the weather cooperates, observers in the Southwest and beyond will
be well situated to see a total lunar eclipse on the night of April
14-15.
As seen from California, the Moon will be well above the horizon for
the entire event.
The circumstances of the eclipse are as follows:
Event / Time (PDT)
Partial eclipse begins / 10:58 p.m.
Totality begins / 12:06 a.m.
Maximum eclipse / 12:45 a.m.
Totality ends / 1:24 a.m.
Partial eclipse ends / 2:33 a.m.
All you will need to see the event are the unaided eye and perhaps a
reclining chair. For the best view, use tripod-mounted binoculars or a
small telescope at low magnification.
Throughout the night, the Moon will be accompanied by Mars. The
orange-red planet will be shining brightly about 9 degrees to the
Moon’s upper right at maximum eclipse. Although the two objects will
appear to be relatively close, Mars will actually be some 57 million
miles behind the Moon.
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Copyright 2014, Brian Webb. All rights reserved. No portion of this
newsletter may be used without identifying Launch Alert as the
source and providing a functioning hyperlink or text that point to
http://www.spacearchive.info/newsletter.htm.
