by Patrick Cullis
"A view of Indian Peaks with the eclipsing moon setting overhead. Taken during the lunar eclipse on the morning of December 10, 2011. The Indian Peaks are a series of peaks on the continental divide behind Boulder, CO. The moon set behind the continental divide right before totality, but it was still an awesome sight."
Image Credit & Copyright: Elias Politis
The total phase of the June 15 lunar eclipse lasted an impressive 100 minutes. Its entire duration is covered in this composite of a regular sequence of digital camera exposures, tracking the dark lunar disk as it arced above the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Elias Politis titled this eclipse duration study and the accompanying youtub e timelapse video "Acropoclipse".
Credit & Copyright: Chris Kotsiopoulos (GreekSky)
"Thunderstorms almost spoiled this view of the spectacular June 15 total lunar eclipse. Instead, storm clouds parted for 10 minutes during the total eclipse phase and lightning bolts contributed to the dramatic sky. Captured with a 30 second exposure the scene also inspired what, in the 16 year history of Astronomy Picture of the Day, the editor considers may be the best title yet for a picture (title credit to Chris K.). Of course, the lightning reference clearly makes sense, and the shadow play of the dark lunar eclipse was widely viewed across planet Earth in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The picture itself, however, was shot from the the Greek island of Ikaria at Pezi. That area is known as "the planet of the goats" because of the rough terrain and strange looking rocks."
NASA image captured March 29, 2011
"Twice a year, SDO enters an eclipse season where the spacecraft slips behind Earth for up to 72 minutes a day. Unlike the crisp shadow one sees on the sun during a lunar eclipse, Earth's shadow has a variegated edge due to its atmosphere, which blocks the sun light to different degrees depending on its density. Also, light from brighter spots on the sun may make it through, which is why some solar features extend low into Earth's shadow."
Credit: Mir 27 Crew; Copyright: CNES
"Here is what the Earth looks like during a solar eclipse. The shadow of the Moon can be seen darkening part of Earth. This shadow moved across the Earth at nearly 2000 kilometers per hour. Only observers near the center of the dark circle see a total solar eclipse - others see a partial eclipse where only part of the Sun appears blocked by the Moon. This spectacular picture of the 1999 August 11 solar eclipse was one of the last ever taken from the Mir space station."
Sometime after sunset tonight, the Moon will go dark.
This total lunar eclipse, where the entire Moon is engulfed in the shadow of the Earth, will be visible from all of North America.
Starting at 00:41 Mountain Time, December 21, the eclipse totality will last just over 72 minutes.
