* Moved (from: ASIAN_LINK) by Roger Nelson using timEd/386 1.10.y2k+.   
      
   Total Eclipse of the Moon   
       
   Dec. 2, 2011: Waking up before sunrise can be tough to do, especially on a   
   weekend.  On Saturday, Dec. 10th, you might be glad you did.  A total eclipse   
   of the Moon will be visible in the early morning skies of western Northern   
   America.   
       
   The action begins around 4:45 am Pacific Standard Time when the red shadow of   
   Earth first falls across the lunar disk.  By 6:05 am Pacific Time, the Moon   
   will be fully engulfed in red light. This event-the last total lunar eclipse   
   until 2014-is visible from the Pacific side of North America, across the   
   entire Pacific Ocean to Asia and Eastern Europe: global visibility map.   
       
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKtNgD45OB4   
       
   This photo, taken by Jens Hackman of Weikersheim, Germany, during a total   
   lunar eclipse in March 2007, shows the turquoise outskirts and red core of   
   Earth's shadow sweeping across the face of the Moon. [video] [full-sized image]   
       
   For people in the western United States the eclipse is deepest just before   
   local dawn. Face west to see the red Moon sinking into the horizon as the sun   
   rises behind your back.  It's a rare way to begin the day.   
       
   Not only will the Moon be beautifully red, it will also be inflated by the   
   Moon illusion.  For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or   
   psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through   
   trees, buildings and other foreground objects. In fact, a low Moon is no wider   
   than any other Moon (cameras prove it) but the human brain insists otherwise.   
   To observers in the western USA, therefore, the eclipse will appear   
   super-sized.   
       
   It might seem puzzling that the Moon turns red when it enters the shadow of   
   the Earth-aren't shadows supposed to be dark?  In this case, the delicate   
   layer of dusty air surrounding our planet reddens and redirects the light of   
   the sun, filling the dark behind Earth with a sunset-red glow. The exact hue   
   (anything from bright orange to blood red is possible) depends on the   
   unpredictable state of the atmosphere at the time of the eclipse. As Jack   
   Horkheimer (1938-2010) of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium loved to say,   
   "Only the shadow knows."   
       
   Atmospheric scientist Richard Keen of the University of Colorado might know,   
   too.  For years he has studied lunar eclipses as a means of monitoring   
   conditions in Earth's upper atmosphere, and he has become skilled at   
   forecasting these events.   
       
   "I expect this eclipse to be bright orange, or even copper-colored, with a   
   possible hint of turquoise at the edge," he predicts.   
       
   Earth's stratosphere is the key: "During a lunar eclipse, most of the light   
   illuminating the moon passes through the stratosphere where it is reddened by   
   scattering," he explains.  "If the stratosphere is loaded with dust from   
   volcanic eruptions, the eclipse will be dark; a clear stratosphere, on the   
   other hand, produces a brighter eclipse.  At the moment, the stratosphere is   
   mostly clear with little input from recent volcanoes."   
       
   http://shadowandsubstance.com/   
       
   Clicking on this image takes you to an interactive visibility map courtesy of   
   Larry Koehn, ShadowandSubstance.com.   
   That explains the brightness of the eclipse, but what about the "hint of   
   turquoise"?   
       
    "Light passing through the upper stratosphere penetrates the ozone layer,   
   which absorbs red light and actually makes the passing light ray bluer. This   
   can be seen as a soft blue fringe around the red core of Earth's shadow."   
       
   Look for the turquoise near the beginning of the eclipse when the edge of   
   Earth's shadow is sweeping across the lunar terrain, he advises.   
       
   A bright red, soft turquoise, super-sized lunar eclipse: It's coming on   
   Saturday, Dec. 10th. Wake up and enjoy the show.   
       
       
   Author:Dr. Tony Phillips| Production editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit:   
   Science@NASA   
       
   More Information   
   A Dawn Eclipse of the Moon -- timetables and more information from Sky and   
   Telescope   
       
   Dec. 10, 2011, Lunar Eclipse -- NASA home page for this event   
       
   The Animated Eclipse -- created by graphic artist Larry Koehn of   
   ShadowandSubstance.com   
       
       
   Regards,   
       
   Roger   
      
   --- D'Bridge 3.64   
    * Origin: NCS BBS (1:3828/7)