by bashkin001
Rare total lunar eclipse to occur Saturday
Sky gazers in North America will be treated to the rare sight of a full crimson moon in the wee hours of Saturday morning due to a total lunar eclipse.
The lunar spectacle will appear in the sky on Dec. 10, at 6:06 a.m. Pacific Time and remain visible for 51 minutes. The phenomenon, not expected to be witnessed again until 2014, will be seen in its entirety from Alaska, Hawaii, Australia and parts of Asia.
Those on the west coast of the United States and Canada will be able to witness the early stages of the total eclipse just before dawn.
According to Sky & Telescope magazine, "From roughly Arizona to the Dakotas, the moon sets while it's still totally eclipsed. In the Central time zone the moon sets while still only partially eclipsed, before the total stage even begins. And those farther east miss out completely."
A phenomenon not expected to be witnessed again until 2014, will be visible in its entirety from Alaska, Hawaii, Australia and parts Asia.
The phases of the total lunar eclipse:- A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth, Sun and Moon all align. The Moon passes behind the Earth so that Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon.
The entire process is set to begin at 4:46 a.m. PT, when the moon first enters the umbra, the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow.
Over the next couple of hours the Earth’s shadow will creep across the moon’s surface, until it is fully covered.
Totality will start at 6:05 a.m. and end at 6:57 am, while the final traces of the Earth’s shadow will pass at 8:15 am after the moon has sunk below the horizon.
At the height of the eclipse, as the moon moves deeper into Earth's shadow, the indirect sunlight passing through Earth's atmosphere will give it a spectacular red or orange hue.
"I expect this eclipse to be bright orange, or even copper-colored, with a possible hint of turquoise at the edge," Atmospheric scientist Richard Keen of the University of Colorado told NASA.
The ‘selenelion’ effect:- During this celestial event, people in North America can get to experience the rare “selenelion” when the sun and the moon are seen together in an eclipse.
Though the sun and moon are in a perfect 180-degree line with Earth during a lunar eclipse, an illusion called atmospheric refraction causes astronomical objects to appear higher in the sky than they are in reality. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth, Sun and Moon all align. The Moon passes behind the Earth so that Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon.
"This effect actually lengthens the amount of daylight for several minutes or more each day; we end up seeing the sun for a few minutes in the morning before it has actually risen and for a few extra minutes in the evening after it actually already has set," reports Space.com.
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Thursday, July 26, 2012
Rare total lunar eclipse to occur Saturday
Polls: Do you believe in the 2012 possible big catastrophe?
Question by Victor W: Polls: Do you believe in the 2012 possible big catastrophe?
http://www.free-minds.org/articles/history/2012.htm
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal view of the author and is being shared with readers for the sake of stimulating thought.
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While watching a recent History channel documentary (part-1, part-2) regarding the Mayan calendar and its end date of December 21st 2012, I could not help but draw parallels with certain prophetic pronouncements contained within the Qur’an of things yet to come.
Mayan Calendar
The Mayan’s of South America were perhaps one of the most advanced civilizations when it came to astronomy and the mapping of the celestial movement of the stars and our planet. In-fact, the Mayan calendar is so accurate that it has been able to predict lunar and solar eclipses thousands of years in advance based on a complex interlocking system involving lunar-solar-and star movements.
Interestingly enough, the Mayan calendar comes to an end on December 21st 2012 (the day of winter solstice). Now, while some people are speculating that this may mark the end of the world, others are speculating more reasonably that it will mark the end of the current sun-earth-galaxy synchronization and that a new synchronization will begin.
I find this second interpretation to be more logical, especially when we consider that God has told us that our sun is not stationary, but is constantly moving towards a determined point and is by default taking us with it:
36:38 And the sun runs to a specific destination, such is the design of the Noble, the Knowledgeable.
Read more on the provided link above.
Best answer:
Answer by DanielBoogers. -_-
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
On May 20, 2012, an annular solar eclipse will pass over the western United States. This video is an animated map showing the path of the eclipse over Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. If you are within this pass, you will see the moon slide fully in front of the sun. During an annular solar eclipse, the moon's disk is just smaller than the sun and is sometimes called a "Ring of Fire" eclipse. It will be a spectacular sight, but you must use either solar filters or a projection system to watch it safely. More maps of this eclipse are available at eclipse-maps.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5
How did ancient civilizations interpret moon or sun eclipses? did they think God is eating the sun?
by Epacris
Question by : How did ancient civilizations interpret moon or sun eclipses? did they think God is eating the sun?
@whyshoulditell you : excellent answer, its just that Greek astronomer Aristotle is historically known to have studied eclipses more than any Indian astronomer.
Best answer:
Answer by MR.GENIUSits really good question
it different between the civilizations,,,many civilizations explained it as demons hid the sun cuz as you know the sun is very important for the humans and the living things so to get rid of the “demon” that was consuming their sun was to unite and make as much noise as possible to scare it away.
in ancient China they believed that a dragon was devouring the sun.
in ancient Greece believed that an eclipse was a sign of angry gods, therefore it was thought of as a bad omen.
Add your own answer in the comments!
DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN Without proper equipment: Safe and easy to make Sun Viewer: www.space.com An annular solar eclipse will grace the western part of the United States in May. BEWARE - Do not look directly at this eclipse with out a proper filter! Annular eclipses don't totally block out the Sun and are thus dangerous.
Video Rating: 4 / 5