Hope for a clear sky to see lunar eclipse
Info from Old Observatory, University of Tartu
Photo Kalle Rahu
Translation Liis
Moon eclipse on October 28th, 2004
On Sunday night towards Monday, September 28th, in early morning and with a clear sky a total eclipse of the moon will be visible. The eclipse begins at 3.12 when the Moon moves into the shadow of the Earth and the Moon disc starts to fade on one side: so a penumbral eclipse begins.
"The slight darkening of the Moon and the penumbral shadow are difficult to see with a naked eye but it can be recorded in a photo after checking camera settings,“ curator Kadri Tinn of the Old Observatory (Tartu Tähetorn) of the University of Tartu says, talking about the eclipse.
At 4.07 the Moon enters the area that is wholly shadowed by the Earth. At this time one edge of the Moon disc takes on a slight reddish tint – the partial eclipse starts. When the Moon is wholly red a full eclipse has started.
The full eclipse of the Moon begins at 5.11. The Moon appears red at the period of total eclipse because the light from the Sun that reaches the Moon through Earth’s atmosphere is reflected back from the Moon. If however there is much dust in Earth’s atmosphere – for instance a major volcanic eruption has occurred – the Moon may not be particularly well visible during the total eclipse, since in that case sufficient light will not reach the Moon.
The current eclipse of the Moon is a good chance to see all three phases: penumbral eclipse, partial eclipse and total eclipse.
The total eclipse ends at 6.23; after that a partial eclipse can be seen again. When the Moon leaves the shadow of the Earth, the Moon will already have set in Estonia.
For photo fans the whole eclipse period is fascinating, for the average viewer the most exciting moments will be between 4 and 7 o’clock. ”Although the eclipse is at a difficult time for working people and schoolchildren we would still recommend to try to watch it in case of clear weather because the next total eclipse iwill not be visible in Estonia until in 2018”, Kadri Tinn says.
More information:
Kadri Tinn
5330 2552
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