On January 20th there will be a lunar eclipse — the only one that will be visible in 2019 — and Staerkel Planetarium is partnering with the C-U Astronomical Society to give the public a pretty cool viewing opportunity. From the press release:
“A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Full Moon passes through Earth’s shadow. Given the Moon’s orbit is five degrees off Earth’s orbital plan, most Full Moons miss Earth’s shadow. The darkest part of Earth’s shadow will encroach upon the Moon at 9:34 p.m. CST. The Moon will be completely in shadow by 10:41 p.m. and will remain there for about an hour. The Moon will begin to emerge from the shadow at 11:44 p.m., leaving a Full Moon in the sky again by 12:51 a.m. Monday.
At mid-eclipse (11:12 p.m.), the Moon may take on a reddish hue, often referred to as a “blood Moon”. The sight has nothing to do with blood, however. It occurs because sunlight, bending through Earth’s atmosphere, often hits the Moon; the atmosphere then scatters some of the blue part of the spectrum (what brings our blue skies), leaving this reddish light.”
Beginning at 9 p.m., the CUAS will be outside the planetarium with telescopes. You can park in the M1 parking lot, and the lobby will be open if you need to be warm for a bit. All of this is weather permitting, of course.
Image from nasa.gov