If it wasn't
raining, an unspectacular lunar eclipse would be nearly over by
the time the full moon rises at 5:32 p.m. tonight.
I wrote a
little "Ten Things to know about the Penumbral Lunar eclipse"
article today.
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/2017/02/10/10-things-to-know-the-february-penumbral-lunar-eclipse
Looks like our
next Sidewalk Astronomy night will be March 4 and there will be an
interesting celestial event. Around 19:09 PST on March 4, the
almost-half Moon occults the red giant star Aldebaran. This might
be a naked eye disappearance for the sharp-eyed. Everyone else
should use binoculars or a small telescope. You CAN do this at
home. If you can find the moon you have a chance to watch the moon
pass in front of the star. The time is the exact time for La
Canada Flintridge, so it will be a little different depending on
where you are located. For those coming to the sidewalk maybe
we'll have one of the telescopes with a videocamera attached and a
monitor to view this special event, so more people can see it.
Here is a nice writeup of who can see this event.
The reappearance is on the lighted hemisphere around 20:27 PST and
will require binoculars or telescope. The color difference
between star and Moon will be striking. Thanks to Steve Edberg and
Tom Traeger for the heads up!
Jane
--
Jane Houston Jones
@jhjones @otastro
What's Up Feb? Use Venus and Mars to find the Zodiacal Light, plus two comets and the brightest asteroid. https://youtu.be/HT2htvbcmm8
New: Ten Things Blog https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/category/10things