Lunar Eclipse 2008 Ireland 20-21 st February

A lunar eclipse, the last total lunar eclipse until 2010 will occur tonight, Wednesday night, with cameo appearances by Saturn and the bright star Regulus on either side of the veiled full moon.
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Skywatchers viewing through a telescope will have the added treat of seeing Saturn's handsome rings.
Weather permitting, the total eclipse can be seen from North and South America. People in Europe and Africa will be able to see it high in the sky before dawn on Thursday.
As the moonlight dims — it won't go totally dark — Saturn and Regulus will pop out and sandwich the moon. Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo.
Wednesday's event will be the last total lunar eclipse until Dec. 20, 2010. Last year there were two.
22 sec Video illustrating a lunar eclipse

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However the weather could be a spoiler for many in the United States. Cloudy skies are expected for most of the Western states with a chance of snow from the heartland to the East Coast, said Stuart Seto of the National Weather Service.
"It looks like it's going to be a hard one to spot," Seto said.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon passes into Earth's shadow and is blocked from the sun's rays that normally illuminate it. During an eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon line up, leaving a darkened moon visible to observers on the night side of the planet.
The moon doesn't go black because indirect sunlight still reaches it after passing through the Earth's atmosphere. Since the atmosphere filters out blue light, the indirect light that reaches the moon transforms it into a reddish or orange tinge, depending on how much dust and cloud cover are in the atmosphere at the time.

Wednesday's total eclipse phase will last nearly an hour. Earth's shadow is expected to blot out the moon beginning around 7 p.m. on the West Coast and 10 p.m. on the East Coast. West Coast skygazers will miss the start of the eclipse because it occurs before the moon rises.
Unlike solar eclipses which require protective eyewear, lunar eclipses are safe to view with the naked eye.
Later this year, in August, there will be a total solar eclipse and a partial lunar eclipse.

Ireland and the lunar eclipse 2008
By Dave Grennan
The early hours of February 21st will see the lunar eclipse in Ireland. Bearing in mind that we will not see another total lunar eclipse until 21st December 2010, the unsociable hour of this lunar eclipse should not put you off observing one of nature's greatest spectacles

The eclipse begins at 12:35am on the morning of the 21st. (night of 20th/21th). Shortly afterwards the lower left of the Moon begins to noticeably darken. The Moon then enters the umbral shadow at 1:43am. The eclipse progresses until exactly 3:00am. At this time the Moon is completely inside the umbral shadow and the total phase of this eclipse begins. 'Totality' continues for some 51 minutes until the Moon begins to emerge from the umbra at 3:51am. Mid eclipse occurs at 3:26am. The Moon is now as dark as it will get. At 5:09am the Moon has now left the umbra and the eclipse ends at 6:17am just as twilight is breaking.

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Lunar Eclipse 2008 Ireland 20-21 st February

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