This total lunar eclipse will be the last non-partial one Earthlings can observe until 2021. There will be several partial lunar eclipses, but no totals :-/ Total lunar eclipses are the neat ones because the Moon turns yellow-y, then orange-y, then copper-y, then red! Note that this eclipse is going to be LONG – FIVE HOURS LONG. Well, the good part will be 3.5 hours long. My recommendation for observing a lunar eclipse is go look, then go do something else for at least 5 minutes, 10 minutes is probably better. Then look again and you should see a change! If you continuously look, you won’t see the gradual change.
A couple of great websites to use to investigate timing and what you can expect are:
Sky & Telescope has a useful and brief set of descriptions of all eclipses in 2019 with a lovely graphic for this particular one (reproduced below): Solar and Lunar Eclipses in 2019
If you want the total, real, everyone-uses-these-numbers, science-jargon deal, go to the page of NASA eclipse guru Dr. Fred Espenak – Total Lunar Eclipse of 2019 Jan 21
Eclipse diagram with key timepoints with TIMES IN UT (not in Central!!) from Sky & Telescope – Leah TiscioneScreenshot of key timepoints for the 2019 January lunar eclipse for Nashville, TN specifically. Note that the good action starts with the partial eclipse start and ends when the partial ends. from TimeAndDate.com
Lunar eclipses are visible from the whole nighttime side of Earth so lots of people get to see these (as opposed to total solar eclipses). They also don’t need any special eye protection because you don’t need any to look at the Full Moon any other time and all that’s happening is the Full Moon will get dimmer. You’ll be fine :)
Also, people are all ga-ga over “The Super Wolf Blood Moon” but you don’t need the hyperbole. It’s a cool experience regardless. If you want to know why the name is that, check out the “Trivia” at timeanddate.com
So have you ever seen an eclipse? Which kind of eclipse and what kinds of things did you notice or feelings did you have?
My name is Andrew Talley, and I’m a sophomore Computer Science/Philosophy major studying at Vanderbilt University. After I graduate, I plan to go to law school. As a result, my activities on campus are both law-related. I’m a member of Vanderbilt’s Moot Court club, where we compete against other undergraduate schools in fake appellate cases. I’m also a member of Vanderbilt’s Mock Trial club, where we compete against other undergraduate schools in fake civil/criminal cases (you may notice a pattern).
In my spare time when I can’t find something more productive to do, I’m a big fan of TV. In particular, I can’t recommend The Good Place highly enough. It’s surprisingly witty and has a bewilderingly good plot for a network comedy.
Hi, I’m Aaron Molotsky, a fourth-year student here at Vanderbilt University studying Computer Engineering. I’m excited to learn about the solar system through this blog!
This is a picture of my dog, Marty! He’s a 9 year old Havanese and he might be the cutest dog in the world. You can find more information about Havanese dogs at this link. Hope you enjoyed my first blog post!
Posted inClass|Taggedastro2110, me|Comments Off on Introductory Post
Hiya, this is my intro post for ASTR2110. I’m Michael Fung, a junior from Wisconsin. I major in neuroscience, but music has always been a part of my life. For my post, wasn’t sure what to talk about so figured I’d do a shameless plug. Y’all should go to Choral Prism! I sing in Chorale, but the other Blair ensemble, the Symphonic Choir, will also perform along with VU Concert Choir and the Melodores. It’ll be fun! The information can be found on the Blair events calendar, but it’s Febuary 8th in Ingram Hall. We do two shows, one at 7:30 and one at 9pm! Hope to see y’all there.
Here we see Dr. Biddlecombe in his natural habitat. Photo taken from the Blair website.
Well not the telescope, yet, but I’ll explain the blog name, tag, and url in my first formal post. But yes, I share my surname with the namesake of one of our most famous satellites, so I might as well go by it on the blog. I’m a senior electrical engineering major and I wanted to take an astronomy course before graduating, especially in hopes that I might be able to recognize some constellations when I find myself under a darker, more star studded sky. I like that astronomy courses are a mix of STEM and liberal arts majors, and its refreshing to take a class outside of FGH. Looks like I need to add a picture and a hyperlink, so here’s a hyperlink to a TED Talk I like, and below is a picture of my hometown, Kansas City, which is worth the 8 hour drive for a plate of brisket and a rack of ribs alone.
View of Kansas City, Missouri’s Union Station with downtown in the background from the Liberty Memorial, site of the National World War 1 museum and a short jog away from the intern housing provided by my summer employer. Other landmarks include the Western Auto wedge on the right and the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts- the double-domed Sydney Opera House looking jawn- on the left. Photo by me.
