Lunar eclipse ends the year for parts of the world
The Moon enters Earth's shadow for a partial lunar eclipse December 31. Residents of Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia will get the best views.
By
Liz Kruesi —
Published:
December 29, 2009 Earth’s shadow covered the Moon’s north pole during this September 2006 eclipse. On December 31, our shadow kisses the lunar south pole.
Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Full Moon align in that order. Viewers can expect to see a bite taken out of the Full Moon's southern limb, while the rest of the disk takes on a more grayish hue than normal.
Residents of Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia will get the best views. In North America, those in the far northeast will see the end of the eclipse, and those in the far northwest will see the eclipse begin.
The eclipse will begin at 17h17m Universal Time (12:17 p.m. EST). It will take 4 hours and 11 minutes for the Moon to pass through Earth's shadow completely. Maximum will occur at 19h23m UT (2:23 p.m. EST, 10:23 a.m. AKST).
The next partial lunar eclipse will occur June 26, 2010, and the next total lunar eclipse will be December 21, 2010.
Eclipse begins: 12:17 p.m. EST, 8:17 a.m. AKST
Umbral eclipse begins: 1:52 p.m. EST, 9:52 a.m. AKST
Mideclipse: 2:23 p.m. EST, 10:23 a.m. AKST
Umbral eclipse ends: 2:52 p.m. EST, 10:52 a.m. AKST
Eclipse ends: 4:28 p.m. EST, 12:28 p.m. AKST |
Additional online observing tools from Astronomy magazine
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