Science Wednesday: Season’s Greetings for the Eclipse

By Aaron Ferster

While yesterday was the solstice and the “official” start of winter, it’s been feeling like the season got an early start around the Washington, DC area this year. It’s been cold.

I don’t think it got much above 25 degree the night before last in my neighborhood. So naturally, sometime just before 2:00 a.m., my wife and I roused our two daughters out from beneath their covers and marched them outside into the frigid night air.

Time to watch the moon disappear.

No one complained. We watched wide-awake as the stunning bright yellow of a giant full moon slowly gave way. First just a small slice of the Cheshire-cat-like moon slipped away. Then, as the sliver of darkness advanced, a brownish red hue spread across what was left of the moon. A holiday light show in the night sky. Slowly and steadily, light gave way to shadow.

As we stood outside all bundled up, we chatted about the spectacle that was unfolding, and how long it’s been since there was a full lunar eclipse this close to the winter solstice. (1638 was the last time, according to an expert cited in The Washington Post.)

There were more than a few bleary-eyed people on the train platform the next morning, and my daughter reports that nearly every kid in her class rose their hand when the teacher asked who woke up to watch the moon disappear.

There is something universally appealing about watching such a natural spectacle. I like to believe that the lunar eclipse is, in essence, a science story. It was another opportunity to get outside and note how science and the environment unite us by peaking our interest and giving us a common story to share with our kids, neighbors, and coworkers.

Were you one of the many people watching the lunar eclipse the other night? What other science and environmental stories do you think you’ll remember from 2010?

Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below.

And happy holidays!

About the author: A dedicated night-owl, Aaron Ferster is the lead science writer in EPA’s Office of Research and Development and the editor or Science Wednesday.

Moon Shadows

A total lunar eclipse is seen as the full moon is shadowed by the Earth on the arrival of the winter solstice, Tuesday, December 21, 2010 in Arlington, VA. The eclipse lasted about three hours and twenty-eight minutes.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth lines up directly between the sun and the moon, blocking the sun’s rays and casting a shadow on the moon. As the moon moves deeper and deeper into the Earth's shadow, the moon changes color before your very eyes, turning from gray to an orange or deep shade of red.

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

This article was sponsored by Forensic Science Books.

NASA Announces Lineup For Total Eclipse Of The Moon

Dwayne Brown

Headquarters, Washington     

 

Janet Anderson

Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.

 

Priscilla Vega

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

 

WASHINGTON -- NASA has planned various ways to help the public enjoy the total lunar eclipse on the night of Dec. 20 to 21.

Astronomers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., will host a pair of live web chats to answer questions and help make the rare celestial experience one to remember. Marshall Center astronomer Rob Suggs will hold the first chat from 4 - 5 p.m. EST on Dec. 20 and discuss the best ways to view the eclipse. From 12 a.m. - 5 a.m., Marshall researcher Mitzi Adams will answer questions as the eclipse passes across the continental United States. A live video feed of the eclipse will be available on the chat site at http://www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/lunar_eclipse.html.

Suggs also will be available for media interviews at Marshall from 2 - 3 p.m. Dec. 20. News media interested in attending the events should contact Janet Anderson at 256-544-0034 no later than 10 a.m. Monday.

For observers on the East Coast, the eclipse will last from 1:33 - 5:01 a.m. EST. The eclipse happens when the moon passes through the shadow of Earth, and the moon's appearance changes from bright orange to blood red to dark brown and perhaps gray. To learn about the science behind eclipses, visit http://www.nasa.gov/eclipse.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., has set up a lunar eclipse Flickr group for those who want to share or view photos of the eclipsed moon. NASA will choose one photographer to have his or her work featured as official JPL wallpaper on their website. To learn more, visit http://www.flickr.com/groups/imthere/.

JPL also is hosting the "I'm There: Lunar Eclipse" text campaign to connect people who are watching the eclipse in the same area and to provide them with tips on viewing the phenomenon. To learn more, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/imthere/map.php.

For more information on all NASA activities regarding the lunar eclipse, visit http://www.nasa.gov/watchtheskies.

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