Eclipse of the Moon Tonight
From NightSky Website:
The eclipse will actually begin when the Moon enters the faint outer portion, or penumbra, of the Earth's shadow more than an hour before it begins moving into the dark inner shadow, called the umbra. The penumbra, however, is all but invisible to the eye until the Moon becomes deeply immersed in it. Sharp-eyed viewers may get their first glimpse of the penumbra as a faint "smudge" on the left part of the Moon's disk at or around 23:09 GMT, which corresponds to 6:09 p.m. EST or 5:09 p.m. CST.
The most noticeable part of this eclipse will come when the Moon begins to enter the Earth’s umbra. A small scallop of darkness will begin to appear on the Moon's left edge at 23:32 GMT, or 6:32 p.m. EST, 5:32 p.m. CST.
The Moon is expected to take 3 hours and 33 minutes to completely pass through the umbra.
While much of the eastern and central portions of the U.S. and Canada will be able to see the Moon enter the umbra, those living to the west of a line running from roughly Corpus Christi, Texas to Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada will see the Moon rise already in eclipse. So for observers across the western-third of the United States and Canada, a peculiar crescent or notched Moon will appear to rise opposite to the setting Sun.
Eclipse timing
Along the immediate Pacific coast of central California, the Moon rises just a scant several minutes before the onset of the total eclipse. Yet, because of low altitude and bright evening twilight, local observers may not see much of the Moon at all until it begins to emerge from out of the Earth’s shadow.
So bundle up and see this. I'll be out behind the barn with hot toddies at about 6:15 my time.
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