March 14 Morning: Total Lunar Eclipse - Plus
Be rested going into the opening hours of Friday, March 14, 2025. You've got an eclipse, a spacecraft on the moon, remnant planets in a row, and a pending nova to consider.
Total Lunar Eclipse
Between 1 AM and 5 AM on Friday morning watch the best parts of a total lunar eclipse unfold. See https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/south-bend?iso=20250314 for specific times. Approximately...
Midnight (Thursday), penumbral begins
1-2:30 AM waxing partial
2:30 -3:30 AM total
3:30 - 4: 45 AM waning partial
6 AM penumbral ends
The penumbral phase can be hard to discern, so if you have limited time prioritize totality and partial phases first. Here are previous blog posts tagged lunar eclipses: https://www.nightwise.org/blog/tags/lunar-eclipse for comparison.
Back on the Moon
On March 2, 2025, Blue Ghost became the first American spacecraft to land upright on the moon since the early '70s. Imagine the spacecraft on the moon looking back at us and seeing a total solar eclipse. Being on the far west edge of the moon, its solar panels will soon get one last gasp of sunlight before the moonlight we see wanes and the spacecraft goes silent.
Remnant Planets in a Row
Some of the planets that caused a stir for "being in a row" recently are still visible. During the front end of the eclipse, look for Jupiter sinking toward the west horizon, trailed by reddish Mars.
Nova in Corona Borealis
Find the site of the star T Coronae Borealis (T CrB) before it "goes nova". The star will explode soon, yielding a seemingly new star in the Northern Crown.
While you're out in the wee hours, get your "before" image of the constellation Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, with your cell phone. First, find the Big Dipper. Follow it's handle outward to the bright star: "arc to Arcturus." Some star hops away and you'll find the gem star of the crown. Nearby is T CrB. Set your camera for a 10s exposure, click, and hold still.
See https://www.nightwise.org/blog/tags/nova for blog posts tagged "nova."
If your body is out of whack this week from Daylight Saving Time, you can at least get a spectacle out of the time lurch.
Komentarze