Beginning around 5:45 PM tonight, the moon will pass into the Earth’s shadow creating an amazing celestial show and turning the surface of the moon an apparent rust-red color. Tonight’s eclipse will mark the last total lunar eclipse until Dec. 21, 2010; however, there are several partial eclipses in-between.
As shown in the graphic above, the important times (in PST) for tonight’s eclipse are:
| Partial eclipse begins |
5:43 PM |
| Total eclipse begins |
7:01 PM |
| Mid-eclipse |
7:26 PM |
| Total eclipse ends |
7:51 PM |
| Partial eclipse ends |
9:09 PM |
The best time to view the eclipse would be during the period of 7:01 - 7:51 PM, with the deepest colors visible around 7:26 PM.
Right now it is actually raining and completely clouded over in Claremont, CA. I’m still hopeful that it will miraculously clear off for the peak of the eclipse, but that is not looking likely. I’ll try to post some pictures of the eclipse taken from places not so unfortunate as the event unfolds.
For more information, visit: http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Here’s an example of what you’d expect to see during the peak of the event:
In this photo taken by NASA’s probe Messenger during
At the beginning of the image sequence, Mercury was just a bright crescent in the blackness of space. As MESSENGER drew closer, surface features could be seen. In the last frame of the video, bright markings are visible, and impact craters can be seen near the terminator (the line between Mercury’s day side, to the left, and the night side to the right).
For a video compilation of the images taken during the probe’s approach, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mov/208323main_opnav_jan09_jan13.mov
For more information on the Messenger mission, visit NASA’s program website: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/messenger/main/index.html
At 11:04 AM PST on Monday, NASA’s probe Messenger will pass within 200 km (124 miles) of the first ‘rock’ from the Sun - the planet Mercury. This pass will mark the first encounter with the rocky inner planet since Mariner-10’s 1975 fly-by nearly 33 years ago.
It is not due in orbit around Mercury until the March of 2011. To get there, it must perform a series of fly-bys and engine firings to put it on a correct course and, crucially, slow its final approach.
This week’s pass, which takes place some 53 million km (33 million miles) from Sun, will reduce the spacecraft’s velocity by 8,000km/h (5,000mph). Even so, it will still pass over the cratered surface at a relative speed of 25,000 km/h (16,000 mph).
Messenger (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging spacecraft) was launched in August of 2004 and since then has already passed by Venus.
Messenger’s cameras and other sophisticated, high-technology instruments will collect more than 1,200 images and make other observations during this approach, encounter and departure. It will make the first up-close measurements since Mariner 10 spacecraft’s third and final flyby on March 16, 1975. When Mariner 10 flew by Mercury in the mid-1970s, it surveyed only one hemisphere.
For more information on the Messenger mission, visit NASA’s program website: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/messenger/main/index.html
Article quotes from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7183846.stm
According to a January 9, 2008 NASA/JPL press release:
Since our last update, we have received numerous tracking measurements of asteroid 2007 WD5 from four different observatories. These new data have led to a significant reduction in the position uncertainties during the asteroid’s close approach to Mars on Jan. 30, 2008. As a result, the impact probability has dropped dramatically, to approximately 0.01% or 1 in 10,000 odds, effectively ruling out the possible collision with Mars.
Despite being typical of previous impact scenarios, it is still disappointing to not be able to observe such an awesome astronomical event.
For the full story, please visit: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news156.html
According to a press release dated January 8, 2008, NASA/JPL spokesmen say that the odds of collision between asteroid 2007 WD5 and Mars have now dropped to 2.5%.
We have updated the orbit of 2007 WD5 using new observations from the 3.5-meter telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory in Spain. This update also incorporates refinements to the Sloan precovery observations mentioned previously. While the best estimate of close approach distance remains steady at about 30,000 km, the uncertainty in position at the close approach has decreased by a factor of three. As a result, the impact probability estimate has fallen to 2.5%, or 1-in-40 odds. If the estimated miss distance remains stable in future updates, the impact probability will continue to fall as continuing observations further constrain the uncertainties.
The asteroid was discovered on Nov. 20, 2007 by the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey. Calculations on Dec. 28, 2007 showed the highest chance of collision with a probability of 4%.
For the full story, please visit: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/
