Lunar Eclipse 2008: A Guide

This Wednesday there will be a total eclipse of the Moon. Totality will last for 51 minutes and will be visible throughout Europe, North America, the Pacific region and Northern Africa. The show kicks off at 00:35 GMT when the Earthâs penumbra touches the limb of the Moon. Totality occurs at 03:26 GMT. This will be the last total lunar eclipse until December 2010.

[youtube]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OqGR2-pZieU\[/youtube\]

Update: new post shows eclipse from perspective of the Moon and Sun [Link].

During Lunar eclipses the Moon does not go completely black, but rather turns a nice deep red. Last yearâs March eclipse was particularly good as the weather was very clear. We can only hope for the same this year.

For more information you can visit NASAâs eclipse page, or check out their handy, one-page guide which I have embedded below.

The embedded video was created using Starry Night at 300x normal speed and the photo shown is one my wife took last year. Nice isnât it?