XPost: van.general, bc.general, nanaimo.general   
   XPost: seattle.general   
   From: gregpcarr@yahoo.ca   
      
   Total lunar eclipse early Tuesday; viewable in North and South America   
   Sun Aug 26, 11:40 AM   
      
   By Colleen Slevin   
      
      
   DENVER (AP) - The Earth's shadow will creep across the moon's surface early   
   Tuesday, slowly eclipsing it and turning it to shades of orange and red.   
      
      
   The total lunar eclipse, the second this year, will be visible in North and   
   South America, especially in the West. People in the Pacific islands,   
   eastern Asia, Australia and New Zealand also will be able to view it if   
   skies are clear.   
      
      
   People in Europe, Africa or the Middle East, who had the best view of the   
   last total lunar eclipse in March, won't see this one because the moon will   
   have set when the eclipse begins at 4:51 a.m. EDT. It will take an hour to   
   reach full eclipse stage.   
      
      
   An eclipse occurs when Earth passes between the sun and the moon, blocking   
   the sun's light. It's rare because the moon is usually either above or below   
   the plane of Earth's orbit.   
      
      
   Since the Earth is bigger than the moon, the process of the Earth's shadow   
   taking a bigger and bigger "bite" out of the moon, totally eclipsing it   
   before the shadow recedes, lasts about 3 1/2 hours, said Doug Duncan,   
   director of the University of Colorado's Fiske Planetarium. The total   
   eclipse phase, in which the moon has an orange or reddish glow, lasts about   
   1 1/2 hours.   
      
      
   The full eclipse will be visible across North America, but East Coast   
   viewers will only have about a half-hour to see it before the sun begins to   
   rise and the moon sets. Skywatchers in the West will get the full show.   
      
      
   In eastern Asia, the moon will rise in various stages of eclipse.   
      
      
   During the full eclipse, the moon won't be completely dark because some   
   light still reaches it around the edges of the Earth. The light is refracted   
   as it passes through our atmosphere, scattering blue light - which is why   
   the sky is blue - but sending reddish light onto the moon.   
      
      
   The next total lunar eclipse occurs Feb. 21, 2008, and will be visible from   
   the Americas, Europe and Asia.   
      
   http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/070826/world/lunar_eclipse_1&printer=1   
      
   ----------------------------------------------------------------   
   --------------------------------------------------------------In   
   ancient times these events often put fear into the populace. Today these are   
   predictable events continuing the excellent work done by Chinese astronomers   
   of old. Enjoy the show.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)