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Sky & Telescope
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Contacts:
Alan MacRobert, Senior Editor
617-864-7360 x151, macrobert{at}SkyandTelescope.com

J. Kelly Beatty, Executive Editor
617-864-7360 x148, kbeatty{at}SkyandTelescope.com

Press Release: May 7, 2003

Red Moon Rising: May 15th's Total Lunar Eclipse

On Thursday night, May 15th, skywatchers throughout the Americas will 
have a front-row seat to the first total lunar eclipse in almost
2 1/2 years -- and the first visible across the US since January
2000. Moreover, most North Americans will see the event in prime
time. As listed in the table below, the Moon will be totally eclipsed
beginning at 11:14 p.m. EDT (10:14 p.m. CDT; 9:14 p.m. MDT; and 8:14
p.m. PDT); for West Coast observers, the Moon rises with the partial
eclipse already in progress.

Skywatchers in western Europe and western and southern Africa will
see the eclipse before and/or during dawn on Friday morning, May
16th. In the table

http://SkyandTelescope.com/aboutsky/pressreleases/article_946_1.asp

UT stands for Universal Time (Greenwich Mean Time).

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon form a 
straight line in space and the full Moon passes through Earth's
shadow. Unlike a solar eclipse, which requires special equipment to
observe safely, you can watch a lunar eclipse with your unaided eyes.
Binoculars or a small telescope will enhance the view dramatically.

As the Moon moves into the outer fringe or penumbra of Earth's
shadow, it will fade very slightly -- imperceptibly at first. The
real show begins when the Moon's leading edge enters the shadow's
core, or umbra, and the dramatic partial eclipse begins. For the next
hour and 11 minutes, more and more of the Moon will slide into dark
shadow. 

Total eclipse begins when the Moon is fully within the umbra. But it 
won't be blacked out! The totally eclipsed Moon should linger as an 
eerie dark gray or coppery red disk in the sky, as sunlight scattered 
around the edge of our atmosphere paints the lunar surface with a
warm glow. This is light from all the sunrises and sunsets that are
in progress around Earth at the time.

After 52 minutes the leading edge of the Moon will emerge back into 
sunlight, and the eclipse is again partial. In another hour and 11 
minutes the last of the Moon emerges out of the umbra.

Details about this event, and how to enjoy it, appear in the May 2003 
issue of Sky & Telescope magazine.

This year brings two total eclipses of the Moon. The second, on
November 8th, will also be visible from North and South America.

Note to Editors/Producers: Sky & Telescope is making the following 
illustrations and animations available to the news media 
[http://SkyandTelescope.com/printable/aboutsky/pressreleases/
article_949.asp]. 
Permission is granted for one-time, nonexclusive use in print and 
broadcast media, as long as appropriate credits (as noted in each 
caption) are included. Web publication must include a link to 
SkyandTelescope.com .

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