There is a lot of info here including times and areas of visibility if anyone is interested!


http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEmo...E2008Feb21.html

A total eclipse of the Moon occurs during the night of Wednesday, February 20/21, 2008. The entire event is visible from South America and most of North America (on Feb. 20) as well as Western Europe, Africa, and western Asia (on Feb. 21). During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon's disk can take on a dramatically colorful appearance from bright orange to blood red to dark brown and (rarely) very dark gray.

An eclipse of the Moon can only take place at Full Moon, and only if the Moon passes through some portion of Earth's shadow. The shadow is actually composed of two cone-shaped parts, one nested inside the other. The outer shadow or penumbra is a zone where Earth blocks some (but not all) of the Sun's rays. In contrast, the inner shadow or umbra is a region where Earth blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the Moon.

If only part of the Moon passes through the umbra, a partial eclipse is seen. However, if the entire Moon passes through the umbral shadow, then a total eclipse of the Moon occurs. For more information on how, what, why, where and when of lunar eclipses, see the special web page lunar eclipses for beginners.

Thanks for the info. Although bitterly cold it is a very clear night :bananadance:

We've been watching her out the bathroom window since earlier tonight, hoping she doesn't get much higher in the sky so that we can more easily catch the eclipse right out our back windows or deck later. :)

It is clear!! :bananadance:

And check this out:

...This eclipse comes with a rare bonus. The planet Saturn (magnitude +0.2) and the bright bluish star Regulus (magnitude +1.4) will form a broad triangle with the moon's ruddy disk.

Careful watchers will notice the moon changing its position with respect to the star and planet as it moves eastward through Earth's shadow.

Saturn's position will also depend somewhat on your location. Seen from North America, the great ringed planet will be 3.5 degrees above and to the left of the moon's center at midtotality. At the same moment, Regulus will sit just 2.8 degrees above and to the right of the moon.

....this upcoming double event will be the only one of its kind occurring within the next millennium!

And it is very unfair that we are totally overcast with dark rain-filled clouds. A once-in-a-lifetime eclipse is meant to be seen!

Expensive telescope.... check

Expensive camera with super duper lenses... check

Insane cloud cover... freaking CHECK.

GRRRRR....

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't even know about this. Gonna go out and take a peek (with camera in hand) as it's crystal clear here. Be back in a few minutes.

ETA:My legs are frozen now, but the view is awesome out there. My kids are now sitting on the porch wrapped in blankets waiting for "the moon to vanish".

:cry: We have cloud cover......

Damn freakin' trees! The sky is super clear here, but as I feared, the moon "moved" :lol: so now it had a bunch of tree branches in the way eclipsing a totally unobstructed view. :whip: (Actually I think I need a chainsaw here....)

It's beautiful but cold here. While out walking the dogs around 9 it had just begun. Fortunately we watched nearly the entire eclipse occur from our front porch, view unobstructed :D

They say the next one won't be til 2010.

It's a perfect night for that here in Virginia!! The moon is super bright.

It's gorgeous!! It's just about time to go check on the moon making its reappearance!

It's also freeeeeezing :cold: so of course I went out for a run by the light of the eclipsing moon. :D I dunno why I didn't see more people out there with me. :giggle: Just about every house in the area had people lurking about their windows peeping out and up though!

I'm pretty sure I could see Saturn's rings, too! Mostly by which of the really bright "stars" right near the moon looked blurry. :lol:

Yes we are very fortunate that it is a perfect night here as well. I just got my 14 year old dd up so she could see it. lol She is now crawling back in bed.

I'm very disappointed--I was SO looking forward to this lunar eclipse, even dragged my tired butt out to the middle of nowhere field to avoid the light's reflection and I could barely see it. ;.; I didn't sit outside for 40 minutes to see a small speck...

What a great eclipse!! Friends and I set up our telescopes and got great views of the moon, Saturn and Regulus.

I didn't get to see it :(

Snow was coming down at it's heaviest, too much cloud cover. :(

I've got a low-end camera (sigh), but I managed to get a pretty cool picture of the moon, Saturn and Regulus :)

Moon, Saturn and Regulus - all together

Our clouds rolled in just as the moon went fully dark - we barely saw it emerge from the shadow. *sigh*

nice picture. mine didn't come out so well.

:nono: :spank: :bash: :scared2: :runaway:

I saw it, it it was magnificent! Lovely red moon at full eclipse. Don't worry. If you missed this one, catch the next in Decmber 2010.

I took some pics!
http://jennannej.blogspot.com