On Wed night there will be a total lunar eclipse. There won't be another until December 2010. Sky and Telescope explains: "Earth’s shadow will totally engulf the Moon from 10:00 to 10:52 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, or 7:00 to 7:52 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. The partial phases of the eclipse last for about an hour and a quarter before and after totality."
"So why does the eclipsed Moon glow deep orange or red, rather than being blacked out? The answer is amazing. The red light you'll see on the Moon comes from all the sunrises and sunsets that are occurring around Earth at the time. Our atmosphere scatters and refracts (bends) the sunlight that grazes the rim of our globe, sending some of it into Earth’s shadow."
See Lunar Eclipses for Beginners for more info and pictures.
Earlier today the whether forecast was for party cloudy skies, now I see "A slight chance of snow after noon. Increasing clouds, with a high near 36." If you're near Boston CfA is having a viewing from their roof with telescopes. Conveniently, it's almost exactly the time I'm supposed to stop being contagious.
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