The night sky is about to put on a breathtaking display, and you won't want to miss it! On March 3rd, the full Worm Moon will slide into Earth's shadow, creating a stunning lunar eclipse. But here's where it gets controversial... The path of totality for the next solar eclipse occurs on August 12th, stretching from Greenland down through Spain, best viewed during ocean cruises. The sun will be covered for a few minutes, depending on where you are. On the night of August 27th into the morning of the 28th, North America will witness a partial lunar eclipse. During mid-eclipse, 96 percent of the moon will be immersed in the Earth's shadow. Skywatchers across North America will get a safe-to-view lunar eclipse before dawn on March 3rd, with viewers in the Pacific and Mountain time zones seeing more of the event than those farther east. Throughout the weeks and months, we see the sun by day and the moon by night. But a few times each year, they line up along with Earth to produce spectacular solar and lunar eclipses. We do not see an eclipse each month because of the Moon’s slight tilt in its orbit around the Earth. Sometimes the bright full moon appears above Earth’s shadow projected in space, while in other months it is located below the shadow. When the alignment is just right, the Moon slips into this cone of darkness. This celestial dance will play out in the early morning of March 3rd. The eclipse will be seen in its entirety from the Pacific and Mountain time zones, whereas farther east, the moon will set before the entire show is over. A lunar eclipse is completely safe to observe and enjoy as the full Worm Moon slowly turns a darker orange as sunlight bends through our atmosphere, like a red sunset. This is in stark contrast to the Feb 17th annular solar eclipse, where special eclipse glasses were needed. Fear not, only the penguins would have seen it over Antarctica. While the eclipse is underway and on any clear night for that matter, check out the brilliant planet Jupiter high in the sky and it sets around 4 a.m. Then there is Orion the Hunter and other brighter winter constellations. Today’s cell phone apps will help guide you through the starry shapes. The path of totality for the next solar eclipse occurs on August 12th, stretching from Greenland down through Spain, best viewed during ocean cruises. The sun will be covered for a few minutes, depending on where you are. On the night of August 27th into the morning of the 28th, North America will witness a partial lunar eclipse. During mid-eclipse, 96 percent of the moon will be immersed in the Earth’s shadow. Eastern: Eclipse begins: 4:50 am Mid eclipse: 6:33 am Moonset: 6:39 am Known as "The Backyard Astronomer", Gary Boyle is an astronomy educator, guest speaker, and previous monthly columnist for the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, as well as past president of the Ottawa Centre of the RASC. He has been interviewed on numerous Canadian and US radio stations as well as in newspaper articles. In recognition of his public outreach in astronomy, the International Astronomical Union has honoured him with the naming of Asteroid (22406) Garyboyle. Follow him on Facebook and his website: www.wondersofastronomy.com (http://www.wondersofastronomy.com/).
