North American Total Lunar Eclipse January 20, 2019

Tonight across North America is a rare evening opportunity to share the wonder of a total lunar eclipse. If you have a clear sky tonight where you are, don't miss this opportunity to get outside this and educate whatever kids you have in your orbit about what is happening in their sky tonight. Many are calling this eclipse a "Super Blood Moon" because it is happening at a time when the moon is near its closest approach to Earth in its orbit (the Super part). The Blood Moon part is due to the dull red color a lunar eclipse casts on the moon when the moon is fully inside Earth's shadow.

I'm looking forward to adding imagery of a lunar eclipse to our family album of celestial events that already includes 2 transits of Venus, a transit of Mercury, and several solar eclipses!


2012 transit of Venus, through a child's eye	Lucky birth timing means he got to see 2 transits of Venus in his lifetime--2004 and 2012	2012 partial solar eclipse on the rooftop at sundown

Here's more information about tonight's event, which starts at 7:36 pm in Tucson--9:36 pm on the East Coast, and 6:36 pm on the West Coast. Totality begins about 2 hours later and lasts for 62 minutes. For East Coast folks, consider keeping the kids up late, since Monday is a school holiday in many states!

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2019-january-21

20th Jan 2019 James Cramton