Posted 02.20.08
Garden Detective:A garden blog by Jessica Damiano that gets to the root of things
http://newsday.com
I can't remember the last time I saw a lunar eclipse. Maybe never. I don't know. But I do remember viewing a total eclipse of the sun when I was about 5 years old. I spied it outside my living room window through sheer curtains since my mother wouldn't let me go outside to look at it directly. Solar eclipses are usually big-time events, with people capitalizing on memorabilia and those little cardboard eyeglasses with pinholes poked through them for safe viewing.
Lunar eclipses aren't as noteworthy, probably because they aren't as rare. Plus, they're safe to look at. We had two last year. But the one enroute to us tonight will be the last until December 10, 2010, so I'm going to make a point of seeing it.
It's going to be extra special because Saturn and the bright star Regulus will line up to form a perfect triangle with the moon. Jack Horkheimer, of PBS' "Star Gazer," called it "the moon, the lord of the rings and heart of the lion eclipse," so I'm hoping the snow flurries in the forecast don't interfere with my view of the big event.
Though the moon will be blocked by the earth's shadow, don't think there'll be nothing to see. A total lunar eclipse can put on quite a show. Dramatic colors from bright orange to bright red and dark brown -- even shards of dark grey -- could peek out. The event will develop gradually, beginning at 8:43 p.m.
Usually, I'm all tucked into bed by 9:00. But I'll be out in the garden looking skyward at 10:01. The moon will be totally eclipsed from then until 10:51. Make some hot cocoa and let the kids stay up late. They'll always remember it.
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