Total Lunar Eclipse - August 28, 2007
Most of the United States is in for a skywatching treat before dawn August 28: a total lunar eclipse. The eastern half of the country will see part of the eclipse before the Moon sets around sunrise, but the western half will see the whole thing.
A lunar eclipse takes place when the full Moon, aligning directly opposite the Sun, moves through Earth's shadow.
The eclipse begins at 2:54 a.m. CDT, when the lunar disk first touches the faint outer portion of the shadow, called the penumbra. The penumbra is so faint, though, that most people won't notice it.
The principal portion of the eclipse begins when the Moon moves into the central part of the shadow, called the umbra. It takes a dark "bite" out of the Moon, which grows larger as the Moon moves deeper into the shadow. The Moon will first touch the umbra at 3:51 a.m. It will be fully immersed in the umbra by 4:52, which is the start of the "total" phase of the eclipse.
Although it will be in shadow, it won't completely disappear from view. It should take on a dark coppery color, or perhaps dark gray, as the result of sunlight filtering through Earth's atmosphere.
The Moon will remain full eclipsed until 6:23 a.m., when it will begin to slide out of the shadow. The partial eclipse ends at 7:24.
From the East Coast, the Moon will still be fully eclipsed as it sets. From points farther west, though, skywatchers will see the Moon begin to emerge from the shadow, as more of the lunar disk returns to sunlight. The Moon will remain in view for the entire eclipse as seen from the western Great Plains to the Pacific Coast.
The moment of full Moon, incidentally, is 5:35 a.m. The full Moon of August is known as the Fruit Moon or Green Corn Moon.
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