FLORENCE-UNA Planetarium would like to inform the public about the upcoming total lunar eclipse that will take place in the morning hours of Wednesday, January 31st. The eclipse will start at 4:49 AM Central Standard Time and for the Shoals area will end when the Moon sets at about 6:51 am. Lunar eclipses occur when the Moon passes directly into the Earth’s shadow during a full Moon. This one is interesting because it occurs on the night of the second full moon of the month, which is called a Blue Moon. Lunar eclipses themselves are often called the Blood Moon due to the red color the totally eclipsed Moon takes during the eclipse. The red color is due to red light passing through the Earth’s atmosphere during the event. So in this case the Blue Moon is also the Blood Moon!
There are several stages in a lunar eclipse. The first stage of the eclipse is called the penumbral stage. This is when the Moon passes through the outer penumbral shadow of the Earth. To an observer on the lunar surface the Earth would appear to block only part of the Sun’s light. The next stage of the eclipse is the partial phase. In this case, some observers on the lunar surface would see the Sun completely locked by the Earth. As the eclipse approaches totality, all observers on the Moon would see the Earth blocking the Sun entirely. For the January 31st eclipse, observers in the Shoals will see the Moon set before totality. To view the lunar eclipse you do not need any special equipment, although a pair of binoculars or telescope will help. The eclipse will be taking place as the Moon sets in the Shoals, which offers the chance to take photos of the eclipse with local landmarks in the shots. You will need an unobstructed view towards the western horizon to see the eclipse, as the Moon will be low in the sky in that direction and setting during the event.
Weather permitting, UNA Planetarium will be holding a viewing session for people to view the eclipse through telescopes and take photos of the eclipse. We will start the viewing just before the penumbral stage of the eclipse begins at 4:49 AM CST and continue until the Moon sets at approximately 6:51 AM CST.
