04/10/2014 – Ephemeris – Get ready for the April 15, 2014 total lunar eclipse

Ephemeris for Thursday, April 10th.  The sun will rise at 7:07.  It’ll be up for 13 hours and 14 minutes, setting at 8:21.   The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 5:09 tomorrow morning.

Next Tuesday morning we’re in for a treat as the Moon enters the Earth’s shadow producing a total lunar eclipse.  The eclipse will be a challenge especially if you wait for April 15th to do your taxes.  Next Tuesday is tax deadline day, and the eclipse will happen is the wee hours of that morning.  You don’t have to watch the whole thing, but I will if it’s clear.  The partial phase begins as the Moon enters the earth’s inner shadow at 1:58 a.m.  Totality starts at 3:06 a.m. The entire Moon should be a red or orange color.  The depth of color will slowly change during totality until 4:24, when totality ends and the upper left edge of the moon again peeks into sunlight.  The ending partial eclipse will end at 5:33 a.m.

Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.  They may be different for your location.

Addendum

How a lunar eclipse happens. Credit spaceplace.nasa.gov

The outer shadow is the Earth’s penumbra which gradually darkens from the outside edge to the umbra, the Earth’s inner shadow.  It’s been my experience that it isn’t noticeable until about a half hour before the partial phase starts, when the Moon starts to dip into the umbra.

Here’s a link to the official NASA eclipse website for this eclipse.Here’s a link to my in-depth discussion of the April 15, 2014 eclipse.