Exciting News: A total lunar eclipse will take place January 20 – 21 and our area will be able to view the entire event, IF we are fortunate enough to have clear skies!
On the night of January 20, 2019 Earth’s shadow will cross the face of its Moon and viewers across North America will be treated to a total lunar eclipse. We, in Northeastern Ohio, are in luck this time as the entire eclipse will be visible to us given clear enough skies, of course.
As the penumbral phase of the eclipse begins, at 9:36 PM, viewers will see the Full Moon gradually dimming, entering the lighter outer portion of Earth’s shadow. At 10:33 the partial eclipse begins and the disk of the Moon will show a dark, curved area expanding across its area. As the Moon moves deeper into shadow it will continue to darken until begin to glow a copper-red until at totality,11:41 PM, Luna will hang colorfully in our star-sprinkled sky as totality begins — the time the Moon is fully within the darkest portion of Earth’s shadow, known as the umbra. Maximum eclipse takes place at 12:12 AM (Jan. 21) and totality ends at 12:43 AM. As the eclipse ends, the process reverses until in the wee hours of Monday, the Full Moon will brightly shine again. Click here for more information from TimeAndDate.com.
Please note: Because Stephens Memorial Observatory is located in a residential area and the peak portion of the eclipse will take place late at night, the observatory WILL NOT be open. Our big telescope is not necessary for your enjoyment of this wondrous natural phenomenon however, just go outside and look up! Binoculars or a small telescope may give a more detailed view but are not necessary. A lunar eclipse is completely safe to watch — it’s moonlight — so you need no special glasses or vision protection.
Stephens Memorial Observatory 