Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Lunar eclipse on its way

The first total lunar eclipse in almost three years as set to turn the moon pink in the early hours of Tuesday morning.


A combo picture of five images shows various stages of the lunar eclipse seen on February 21, 2008

Coinciding with the winter solstice the eclipse will happen when the Earth directly aligns itself with the sun and the moon.

The effect causes the Earth to block the sun’s rays, casting a shadow over the moon which will see it change colour – from grey, to pink, and perhaps even red.

Star gazers in Britain will be able to witness the beginning of the eclipse, if skies are clear, at 0633 GMT. The stage of total eclipse will run from 0741 to 0853 GMT.

Overall, the eclipse will last for three and a half hours, finishing at 1001 GMT, and will best be seen from parts of North America.

Unlike solar eclipses, which should not be looked at without protective glasses, lunar eclipses are perfectly safe to watch.

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