Hundreds enjoy lunar eclipse party

Grey skies clear up in time for lunar eclipse observing party hosted by the Milwaukee Public Museum and Astronomy magazine.

By Matt Quandt — Published: October 28, 2004

Lunar eclipse from Oregon (October 27, 2004)

October 28, 2004

On the night of October 27, 2004, cloudy skies cleared shortly before the lunar eclipse was to begin, revealing a Full Moon above Milwaukee.

Photo by Holly Bakich

Low-lying, stubborn clouds passed and unveiled the Full Moon shining brightly as visitors to the Milwaukee Public Museum observing party eagerly anticipated the start of the last total lunar eclipse for North America until 2007. Astronomy magazine — published a few miles west of Milwaukee in Waukesha, Wisconsin — partnered with the museum and Slooh...Live SpaceShow for a lunar-eclipse observing extravaganza open to the public.

An hour before the eclipse started Wednesday night, thick clouds, rain, and fog beset southeastern Wisconsin. Much to the dismay of local astronomers, Astronomy editors, and event planners, all weather reports predicted "mostly cloudy" and "drizzle" for Wednesday night.

Observing the lunar eclipse in Milwaukee

Despite the chilly temperatures, dozens of people gathered in McArthur Square in Milwaukee to observe the lunar eclipse.

Photo by Holly Bakich

Members of local astronomy clubs — the Milwaukee Astronomical Society and the Urban Stargazers — set up their telescopes at MacArthur Square next to the museum in defiance of the all-too-often capricious Wisconsin weather. As they did, a remarkable thing happened: The sky began to clear. In minutes, the clouds that had blocked any view of the sky for days dissipated.

That good fortune continued throughout the night as the sky above Milwaukee remained clear for the eclipse's duration.

A lucky, young winner hugs a Celestron Nexstar 60GT telescope he won at the Milwaukee Public Museum.

Photo by Holly Bakich

Meanwhile, inside the museum, activities gave chilled eclipse-viewers a chance to warm up. Astronomy associate editor Michael Bakich informed and entertained visitors with a PowerPoint presentation on the significance of solar and lunar eclipses. The museum set up a video projector and computer for attendees to enjoy a cosmic tour courtesy of the on-line observatory Slooh…Live SpaceShow. As an added bonus for visitors to the event as well as visitors logged on to Slooh.com, Astronomy editors provided live audio commentary. This turned into an impromptu astronomy-related radio show as Slooh's observatory — located in the Canary Islands — was clouded out.

The event culminated with a telescope giveaway. All visitors to the event were invited to enter a drawing for free subscriptions to Astronomy magazine, Deep Sky Mysteries 2005 calendars, and the grand prize: a Celestron Nexstar 60GT telescope. A young Milwaukean attending the event with his family and friends won the scope.

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