Space
Watch Out For Friday's Night Sky Events: A Full Moon, Deep Penumbral Lunar Eclipse And A Comet All In One Night
Leon Lamb
First Posted: Feb 09, 2017 04:49 AM EST
Sky watchers are up for a cosmic treat this week as a full moon, lunar eclipse and a comet grace the night sky this Friday.
The Washington Post reported that a full moon will go along with a lunar eclipse this Friday night as it passes through the Earth's outer shadow. The phenomenon called Penumbral Lunar Eclipse also known as Snow Moon occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, covering the lunar disc with noticeably dark shades of gray.
According to Sky & Telescope magazine senior editors Alan MacRobert and Kelly Beatty, the Moon will rise on the East Coast around 5:30 p.m. and will slowly turn gray as it enters the Earth's shadow at around 6:14 p.m. ET.
By mid-eclipse, at around 7:44 p.m. ET, the upper third of the Moon will be covered with a darker shade of gray. This lunar darkening will go on until it totally leaves the penumbral shadow at 9:55 p.m. ET, U.S. Naval Observatory astronomer Geoff Chester said.
People might not notice the eclipse towards the end, though.
"The outer part of Earth's penumbra is so pale that you won't notice anything until the Moon's edge has slid at least halfway in," warns Alan MacRobert, a senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine. "So start looking about 90 minutes before mid-eclipse."
After the eclipse, sky watchers still got time to prepare their telescopes as the Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusáková makes its closest approach to Earth at 10:30 p.m. ET. Although the sky event could not be seen by the naked eye, they could watch out for Slooh's live feed from different locations with astronomers Bob Berman and Gerard Monteux.
Slooh will also cover the lunar eclipse beginning 5:30 p.m.
Follow @Slooh on Twitter to keep track of these night sky events on Friday.
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First Posted: Feb 09, 2017 04:49 AM EST
Sky watchers are up for a cosmic treat this week as a full moon, lunar eclipse and a comet grace the night sky this Friday.
The Washington Post reported that a full moon will go along with a lunar eclipse this Friday night as it passes through the Earth's outer shadow. The phenomenon called Penumbral Lunar Eclipse also known as Snow Moon occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, covering the lunar disc with noticeably dark shades of gray.
According to Sky & Telescope magazine senior editors Alan MacRobert and Kelly Beatty, the Moon will rise on the East Coast around 5:30 p.m. and will slowly turn gray as it enters the Earth's shadow at around 6:14 p.m. ET.
By mid-eclipse, at around 7:44 p.m. ET, the upper third of the Moon will be covered with a darker shade of gray. This lunar darkening will go on until it totally leaves the penumbral shadow at 9:55 p.m. ET, U.S. Naval Observatory astronomer Geoff Chester said.
People might not notice the eclipse towards the end, though.
"The outer part of Earth's penumbra is so pale that you won't notice anything until the Moon's edge has slid at least halfway in," warns Alan MacRobert, a senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine. "So start looking about 90 minutes before mid-eclipse."
After the eclipse, sky watchers still got time to prepare their telescopes as the Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusáková makes its closest approach to Earth at 10:30 p.m. ET. Although the sky event could not be seen by the naked eye, they could watch out for Slooh's live feed from different locations with astronomers Bob Berman and Gerard Monteux.
Slooh will also cover the lunar eclipse beginning 5:30 p.m.
Follow @Slooh on Twitter to keep track of these night sky events on Friday.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone