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OCAU News |
Lunar Eclipse!
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Thursday, 13-July-2000 22:50:51 (GMT +10) - by Agg
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A few people sent me this, but nobody said where it was from! So don't sue me for copyright infringement:
SYDNEY, July 13 AAP - The moon will appear to vanish briefly and
return as a luminous rose-coloured disc when a total lunar eclipse
occurs on Sunday night.
Australians across the continent will be able to witness the
rare and spectacular astronomical phenomenon from 8.45pm (AEST),
Maria Hunt of the University of Western Sydney observatory said
today.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon lines up with the sun
and the earth and passes through the shadow of the earth.
"Between 10-11pm the moon will almost disappear as it becomes
completely covered by the heaviest part of the earth's shadow," Ms
Hunt said.
"It is at this time that the eclipse will be at its most
beautiful."
The entire process will take several hours, with the moon
beginning to leave the darkest part of the Earth's shadow after
12.45am (AEST) and remaining dim until 3am (AEST).
The eclipse will also have a dramatic effect on the night sky by
making the milky way cluster of stars appear brighter when viewed
away from city lights, according to information from the
Astronomical Society of Australia.
In early days a lunar eclipse, with the apparent disappearance
of a heavenly body, was seen as a bad omen.
But Ms Hunt said lunar eclipses were perfectly safe and could be
viewed with the naked eye.
The last time a total lunar eclipse was visible in Australia was
in September 1997.
The next total lunar eclipse visible from Australia will not
occur until 2011.
I'll be outside with the binoculars for sure..
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