For those of you who like to look at the sky at night, there will be a total lunar eclipse visible in our part of the world tonight (actually Tuesday morning). It is not as spectacular as a total solar eclipse, but you won't need to fly half way around the world to see it.
The last time I saw a total lunar eclipse the moon looked like a dull, orange vanilla wafer in the sky. It was rather strange compared to the normal brightness and color of the full moon. The orange color is due to the earth's atmosphere, similar to the color of a sunset. Take a look if the sky is clear and you're still up after 1:00 AM ET.
The most noticeable part of this eclipse will come when the moon begins to enter the Earth's dark inner shadow (called the umbra). A small scallop of darkness will begin to appear on the moon's left edge at 6:33 UT (on Dec. 21) corresponding to 1:33 a.m. EST or 10:33 p.m. PST (on Dec. 20).
The moon is expected to take 3 hours and 28 minutes to pass completely through the umbra. The total phase of the eclipse will last 72 minutes beginning at 7:41 UT (on Dec. 21), corresponding to 2:41 a.m. EST or 11:41 p.m. PST (on Dec. 20).
At the moment of mid-totality (8:17 UT/3:17 a.m. EST/12:17 a.m. PST), the moon will stand directly overhead from a point in the North Pacific Ocean about 800 miles (1,300 km) west of La Paz, Mexico.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20101217/sc_space/amazingspectacletotallunareclipsemondaynight
