"Fortunately we won't have to wait 372 years for the next one.that will be on 2094 DEC 21. "Since Year 1, I can only find one previous instance of an eclipse matching the same calendar date as the solstice, and that is 1638 DEC 21," says Chester. Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory inspected a list of eclipses going back 2000 years. A lunar eclipse smack-dab on the date of the solstice, however, is unusual. There have been three of them in the past ten years alone. How rare is that? Total lunar eclipses in northern winter are fairly common. Tony Phillips | Credit: More InformationĬoincidences (UPDATED): This lunar eclipse falls on the date of the northern winter solstice. This incredible light beams into the heart of Earth's shadow, filling it with a coppery glow and transforming the Moon into a great red orb.īack on Earth, the shadowed Moon paints newly fallen snow with unfamiliar colors-not much luster, but lots of beauty.Īuthor: Dr. The rim of the planet is on fire! As you scan your eye around Earth's circumference, you're seeing every sunrise and every sunset in the world, all of them, all at once. You might expect Earth seen in this way to be utterly dark, but it's not. His rxrap, orimtecl with north at the lop. Overhead hangs Earth, nightside down, completely hiding the sun behind it. became director of the Vienna Observatory and in 1764 pub lished a full-moon map,18-5cm (73inches) in diameter. Espenak, NASA/GSFC.Ī quick trip to the Moon provides the answer: Imagine yourself standing on a dusty lunar plain looking up at the sky. Click to view a world map of visibility circumstances. The entire event can be seen from all points on the continent. That's when the Moon will be in deepest shadow, displaying the most fantastic shades of coppery red.įrom first to last bite, the eclipse favors observers in North America. Naval Observatory because of small differences in the latitudes and longitudes used for the calculations. If you're planning to dash out for only one quick look - it is December, after all - choose this moment: 03:17 am EST (17 minutes past midnight PST). Computations may differ slightly from official sunrise and sunset data obtained from The U.S. Totality commences at 02:41 am EST (11:41 pm PST) and lasts for 72 minutes. It takes about an hour for the "bite" to expand and swallow the entire Moon. At that time, Earth's shadow will appear as a dark-red bite at the edge of the lunar disk. The eclipse begins on Tuesday morning, Dec. For 72 minutes of eerie totality, an amber light will play across the snows of North America, throwing landscapes into an unusual state of ruddy shadow. Charons discovery at the Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station as a time-varying bulge on the image of Pluto (seen near the top at left, but absent on the right). 21st, the first day of northern winter, when the full Moon passes almost dead-center through Earth's shadow.
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