Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The red side of the moon

Once in a blue moon, there is a red moon.

That is happening tonight, just like in the clip below (without the titles and the music, I think).



Something called Saturn (which I hear is a god) and the star Regulus (which I hear is a star) will be visible nearby.






Regulus, you might know, is the brightest star in the constellation Leo, which I hear looks like Leonardo (the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, not the guy from the "Code"). Hence the name (to me, it looks like a bunch of stars).

"Regulus" is Latin for "Prince," which is English for this:



And Saturn, I'm told, has rings (The Romans liked jewelry), which you can see if you have a telescope.

NASA has the real specifics (and the copyright).


The eclipse will last nearly an hour. Earth's shadow is expected to begin to cover the moon at 10 p.m. tonight here in the East Coast.


If the weather cooperates (it won't), everything will be sweet.

P.S. If you are one of those readers who like to read my post the day after they're posted, don't fear. The next total lunar eclipse will be Dec. 20.

Of 2010.


Consolation prize: There will be a partial lunar eclipse and total solar eclipse this year in August.