Eclipsing Moon Sets over Garden of the Gods
At 5:00am, I was treated to my first unexpected view of the pre-dawn world. I opened the curtains of my west-facing window, and there was the constellation of Orion setting over Pikes Peak. The three bright stars of Orion’s belt glittered just above Pikes Peak like a crown of diamonds. The bright, very full moon gave no hint of what was to come.
However, by 5:45am, a hazy shadow began to shroud the upper left curve of the moon. My husband and I were now at our viewing location at the entrance to Garden of the Gods Park. We watched in silence as the Earth’s shadow began to cloak the top half of the moon. The December dawn sky presented other treasures. Sirius, the brightest star in our sky, was setting behind the pale saddle of Gray Rock, and the bright stars of Gemini sparkled high overhead.
Eclipsing moon setting before dawn, Garden of the Gods
Just as the top half of the moon was beginning to take on a faint red glow, matching the reddish hues of the towering sandstone rocks of Garden of the Gods, the moon slipped below the mountains of the Rampart Range. In the stillness of dawn, we could hear a great-horned owl hooting in the distance.
Photo Credit: Thanks to my husband Les Goss for capturing this moment.
Early Morning Lunar Eclipse on December 10, 2011
A celestial event in the early morning hours of December 10 will add a new dimension to one of the most beautiful views in the world – Pikes Peak framed by the red rock spires of Garden of the Gods. On that morning, an eclipsed moon will set behind Pikes Peak. According to SKY AND TELESCOPE magazine, the Earth’s shadow will begin to eclipse the moon at 5:45 a.m. (Mountain Standard Time), and by 7:05 a.m., the moon will be in total eclipse.
Image via Wikipedia
Over the years, I have seen the Garden of the Gods’ magnificent red rocks and Pikes Peak cloaked by the snows of winter and the thunderclouds of summer, and illuminated by the bright light of dawn and the last rays of sunset. But I have never seen a shadowed moon set behind the famous view of the red rocks and Pikes Peak.
The weather forecast for December 10 is clear, yet I don’t know exactly what time the moon will disappear behind the western mountains, or how soon the light of the rising sun will fade the colors of the eclipsed moon. But I will be up early and watching, as there is always something new to discover.
Note: to read about the last total eclipse in Colorado on December 20 – 21, 2010, please visit my blogs dated December 15, 2010 and December 21, 2010 entitled “Anticipating the Total Lunar Eclipse on December 21, 2010″ and “It’s Midnight and the Moon is Slipping into Earth’s Shadow.”
Photo Credits: Partial Lunar Eclipse via Wikipedia; Garden of the Gods with Pikes Peak by Nature Narratives author Melissa Walker
It’s Midnight and the Moon is Slipping into Earth’s Shadow
To see the moon begin to “disappear” at the exact time forecast is exhilarating. It is 11:33 p.m. (MST), December 20, 2010. Now, it’s 12:06 a.m. and the Earth has cast its shadow over almost half the moon. The shaded lunar surface faintly glows dark, dark red.
In the southern sky, just below the eclipsed moon, is the constellation of Orion. Looking through my binoculars, I observe that Orion’s bright star Betelgeuse, a red giant, is very similar in color to the eclipsed moon.
Partial Lunar Eclipse
It is now 12:51 a.m. and the moon has been totally in Earth’s shadow for 10 minutes. Without its bright white reflected light, the moon looks like the 3-dimensional sphere it actually is, instead of a 2-dimensional circle. It also looks smaller, yet heavier. It looks as if its weight will cause it to fall from the sky, something I’ve never imagined before. The sky has darkened and many stars appear that were invisible in the bright light of the full moon. I see the Seven Sisters and the Twins.
It is a perfect night to view the eclipse from Colorado Springs. Lucky us.
Total Lunar Eclipse by Les Goss
Photo Credit: Thanks to Les Goss, my husband, for both eclipse photos.
Anticipating the Total Lunar Eclipse on December 21, 2010
The winter and summer solstices have always intrigued me. The shortest and longest days of each year are important enough to garner mention on most calendars. Much more than just a date on a calendar, though, the solstices remind me that the Earth is proceeding on its journey around the sun, its circular pathway in our solar system.
I had been anticipating the date of 2010’s winter solstice, December 21, for many months when our December SKY AND TELESCOPE magazine arrived heralding “December’s Great Lunar Eclipse.” On the same date as this year’s winter solstice, everyone on the entire North American continent will be able to view a total lunar eclipse.
- Image via Wikipedia
According to the chart in SKY AND TELESCOPE, everyone in the Mountain Standard Time Zone (MST) will begin seeing the shadow of the Earth move across the face of the full moon at 11:33 p.m. on December 20. During the eclipse, the sun’s rays that light the moon will be blocked by the Earth when the Earth moves between the sun and the moon. As the Earth’s shadow slowly covers the moon, the night sky will become darker and darker. The darkened sky will allow hundreds of additional stars to become visible in what was previously a bright, moonlit sky.
The total eclipse, when the moon is totally covered by the Earth’s shadow, will begin at 12:41 a.m. (MST) on December 21 and will last for only 72 minutes. During totality, I will be watching through my binoculars for the reddish hues and subtle colors of the moon, a phenomenon caused by the scattering and bending of sunlight around the perimeter of Earth.
The last total lunar eclipse viewed from North America was almost three years ago. I am crossing my fingers for clear skies on Monday night.
