The Atmosphere Is Right for Eclipse

Local astronomy buffs are eagerly awaiting tonight’s total lunar eclipse, the first time in nearly a decade that such a phenomenon--weather permitting--will occur under ideal viewing conditions.

Not only will the celestial event climax during prime time--about 8 p.m.--but the Earth’s atmosphere is also generally free of the sort of debris that has clouded other recent eclipses.

In the 1990s, lingering effects from the 1991 eruption of the Philippines’ Mt. Pinatubo obscured the decade’s four occasions when the moon passed completely through the Earth’s shadow, most recently in September 1997.

If the skies are clear tonight, the public is invited to view the eclipse from the Moorpark College Observatory along with members of the Ventura County Astronomical Society. Club members will bring their telescopes and answer questions related to the lunar event.

“It’s one of the most beautiful things you can see in the sky,” said Moorpark College astronomy instructor Hal Jandorf, past president of the club. “The full moon will be blazingly bright before it begins, and then it will slowly plunge into the Earth’s shadow.”

The eclipse--which happens when the Earth blocks the sun’s illumination of the moon--will occur in stages, with the moon moving into the outer part of the Earth’s shadow at 6:03 p.m. About a half-hour later, its lower left edge will then noticeably darken. Just after 7, the moon will enter the inner, darker part of Earth’s shadow, and by 8:05, it will be totally eclipsed.

The total eclipse lasts an hour and 17 minutes, and during that time, the moon will take on a rusty, reddish color from traces of sunlight scattered around the edge of the Earth.

“It almost looks like the moon is on fire,” said Dave Holland, a noted astrophotographer and a member of the astronomy society’s board of directors.

The Simi Valley resident said he plans to capture the event at the observatory using a manual camera mounted on a telescope. His images of a total lunar eclipse in 1989 landed in Sky & Telescope, a respected astronomy magazine.

Telescopes are not necessary to view the event, but can enhance the visibility of colors the moon will take on once it is totally eclipsed.

While Holland described the planned gathering at Moorpark College as a nice chance for families to get together, he noted that the eclipse will be viewable from almost anywhere if the skies are not overcast.

“That’s the nice thing, you don’t have to go anywhere if you don’t want to,” he said. “You can just sit in your backyard.”

Those planning to view the eclipse from the Moorpark observatory should arrive by 7:30 p.m. to give their eyes time to adjust to the darkness, said club secretary Linda Seck. Nearly 500 people are expected to attend.

If the skies are cloudy, the event will be canceled. If Ventura County skies are overcast, Jandorf recommended driving to a higher elevation, perhaps to the Grapevine portion of Interstate 5, to view the total eclipse, since another won’t be visible locally until May 2003. A partial lunar eclipse, however, will be visible July 16.

“If it’s cloudy, you’re missing one of the most spectacular sights you can see in your life,” he said.

The 3,000-foot level on the Grapevine is about 60 miles from downtown Ventura, by way of California 126.

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FYI

Moorpark College observatory is near parking lots D and E at the campus, 7075 Campus Road, in Moorpark. For further information, call the astronomical society at (805) 529-7813.