| | |  | Lunar eclipse | |
Blood-red eclipse
8 January 2001
The evening of 9 January is marked by a total eclipse of the moon that will be visible over all of Europe, Africa, Asia and the eastern Americas. Unlike the solar eclipse, no need for special glasses to enjoy the show.
You may detect the first pale shading encroaching on the Full Moon's eastern side around 19:30 CET (18:30 UT/GMT). Partial eclipse begins at 19:42 CET (18:42 UT) ; this is when the Moon's eastern limb first enters the umbra (dark inner portion) of the Earth's shadow.
Total eclipse runs from 20:50 to 21:52 CET (19:50 to 20:52 UT), when the Moon is entirely inside the umbra. During this time the Moon should glow a deep, dim orange-red. Then partial eclipse returns until 22:59 CET (21:59 UT) after which the Moon will finally be full again.
This lunar eclipse can easily be seen with the naked eye, but will be much more spectacular with binoculars. Unlike eclipses of the Sun, eclipses of the Moon are perfectly safe to watch with the naked eye, so no need to protect your eyes or your cameras with special filters.
Many public observatories are opening their doors during the event for those who wish to look through a real telescope. For a list of public observatories please consult your local amateur astronomy organization.
Get the picture!
If you wish to photograph the eclipse, mount your 35-mm camera on a tripod and take scenic views with a red-coloured moon as part of your composition. Exposure times on ISO 400 film should be 1/250 – 1/4 second at f/8 for the regressing partial phases, and 1 – 4 seconds at f/4 for the total phases.
You can also use a telephoto lens for more dramatic close-ups using similar exposure times and diaphragm settings.
| | Path of the lunar eclipse | |
About the lunar eclipse
Lunar eclipses occur when the full moon passes through the Earth's shadow. Usually the full moon passes either north or south of the Earth's shadow in its monthly orbit around the Earth, and no eclipse occurs. When the moon skims the Earth's shadow, a partial lunar eclipse occurs. But on 9 January, the moon will pass completely into the shadow of the Earth, producing a striking total lunar eclipse. The total phase throws an eerie reddish colour across the face of the moon. The Earth's atmosphere acts like a prism, bending a little sunlight into the shadow and giving it a copper tint. In essence, what falls on the eclipsed moon is the light of all the sunsets and sunrises on Earth.
More information and time zones
More information and links to live web cams of the eclipse can be found on the space flight and astronomy web site Astronet.
Local time of the major eclipse phases for a number of time zones can be found in the table below (adapted from F.Espenak).
| Total Lunar Eclipse of 9 January 2001 |
| Event |
Time
UT/GMT |
Time
CET |
| Partial Eclipse begins: |
18:42 | 19:42 |
| Total Eclipse begins: |
19:50 | 20:50 |
| Mid-Eclipse: |
20:21 | 21:21 |
| Total Eclipse ends: |
20:52 | 21:52 |
| Partial Eclipse ends: |
21:59 | 22:59 |
UT - Universal Time
GMT - Greenwich Mean Time
CET - Central European Time
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