Where:

Frosty Drew Observatory

When:

Tuesday April 15, 2014 12:00 a.m. - Sunrise

Cost:

Free! Donations accepted and appreciated

On Tuesday April 15th, during the early morning hours, a Total Lunar Eclipse is taking place and it will be visible to all in New England. As an added bonus, during the total eclipse the Moon will be only 2º away from the super bright blue Virgo star - Spica. The deep crimson colored Moon will contrast the blue tones of Spica, offering striking colors of deep blue radiating from the star. This will be an awesome night and Frosty Drew Observatory is opening to the public starting at midnight on the morning of April 15th offering excellent views of the eclipse. We will stay on site and open until the sun rises, marking the end of the eclipse.

A Lunar Eclipse happens when the Moon passes into Earth's shadow. This only happens during the full lunar phase. Since this eclipse will be a Total Eclipse, the entire Moon will pass into the Earth's dark shadow, called the Umbra. During the period of totality (total eclipse) the Moon will glow a crimson red. This happens due to sunlight filtering through Earth's atmosphere effectively stripping the violet spectrum of light.

The eclipse will begin at 12:53 a.m. Tuesday morning and will start as a dimming of one side of the Moon. At 1:58 a.m. the partial eclipse will begin when a chunk of the Moon will start to appear missing. Total eclipsing of the Moon will start at 3:06 a.m. with maximum totality occurring at 3:45 a.m. and ending at 4:24 a.m. Once totality ends, the partial eclipse will continue until 5:33 a.m.

Frosty Drew will have the Sky Theatre open and warm showing video presentations about the Moon. The Observatory will be open for tours though the main telescope will remain closed. We will have telescopes setup outside the observatory offering views of the night sky and Moon.

Dust of those binoculars. Grab a blanket, lawn chair, some tasty eats, family, and friends and hang out with us in Ninigret Park under the crimson Moon.