Steve Bevan's Night Skies

Eclipse Pictures!

Photo Credit:  Sjoerd Witteveen

You didn't need a telescope to see last week's lunar eclipse.  Photographer Sjoerd Witteveen took this series of pictures showing the progression of the eclipse over the evening and these images are similar to what you could see with the naked eye.  My favourite part is seeing the early stages when the moon appears to have a bite taken out of it.  As things progress and the moon enters the full shadow of the earth, you see an orangey red hue cast upon the lunar surface.  The colour is due to refracted sunlight bending around the edges of the earth and reaching the moon.  Just imagine, that's all the sunsets and sunrises on earth at that moment painting our Luna in a beautiful light!

This weekend from Friday February 29th to Sunday March 2nd, I'll be at the Markham Spring Home Show .  If you would like to learn more about astronomy I'll be at the Starlight Learning booth.  In addition, I'll be making a presentation on "Backyard Astronomy" during two public lectures at the Home Show stage at 6:45 PM Friday and 5:45 PM Saturday.

An Eclipse of the Moon on Wednesday February 20th!!

Picture Credit:  NASA

Here's an opportunity to see an eclipse of the moon!  Check out our skies on the evening of Wednesday, February 20th to see the Moon enter the Earth's shadow.

What's interesting is the reddish hue you will see as the event progresses.  This colour is due to the light of sunrises and sunsets on the Earth which manage to refract around our atmosphere and continue to the moon.  Unlike an eclipse of the sun, an eclipse of the moon is safe to view with the naked eye.

Start looking around 8:15 PM Eastern Standard Time and follow the progress of the eclipse as the shadow of our Earth travels across the lunar terrain.  As the Moon enters the darker umbral shadow around 8:43 PM, you will see the red colour start to fill the landscape.  By 12:30 AM, it should be all over for the last total lunar eclipse until the year 2010.

Remember to dress warmly and have the hot cocoa ready.

What's Up in February Skies

Produced by Starlight Learning for IMAGINOVA