Lunar Eclipse November 2003

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The Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc. (AAC) and Florida Museum of Natural History is sponsoring a free, public observing session for the second Total Lunar Eclipse of 2003. This event occurs during UF's 2004 Homecoming Weekend. (Has a total eclipse of the Moon ever occurred on Homecoming before?)

Club members will set up their telescopes in front
of Powell Hall (Florida Museum of Natural History) on the University of Florida Campus in Gainesville during early evening hour to allow the public to view the eclipse (and Mars).

Watch the Gators beat Vanderbilt during UF's Homecoming game in the afternoon!
Regardless of who wins ...
Come to Powell Hall between 6:00 and 10:30 p.m.
See a brief (ten minute) automated computer presentation about the eclipse.
(This presentation will continue through the evening.)
Observe the eclipsed Moon and Mars, through club telescopes
Club members will answer questions and assist adults and children

Date & Time

Saturday, 2003 November 8, between 6:00 – 10:30 p.m. EST
(Moon totally eclipsed for only 25 minutes, from 8:06 to 8:31 p.m. EST)

Location

In Front of Powell Hall: Education & Exhibition Center
(Florida Museum of Natural History)
SW 34 Street & Hull Road, UF Campus, Gainesville Florida
(Click Powell Hall for Location Directions and Map)

NOTE: Observing session canceled if clouds obscure the sky.
(But another total lunar eclipse, also visible in Florida, occurs in October 2004!)

Last May's Total Lunar Eclipse from Powell Hall (Kritsada Supa, 2003 May 15).
The Earth's atmosphere often scatters sunlight into the Earth's shadow
so the eclipsed Moon may shine with a dim, reddish color

Telescopes to View Moon and Planets

The AAC will have several telescopes set up in front of Powell Hall Exhibition Center of the Florida Museum of Natural History.

The Moon will be bright, full and glary but will begin to go into eclipse as it rises in the eastern sky during early evening!

Mars will remain the brightest celestial object (except for the Moon) in the evening sky (shinning at magnitude -1.0). The "red planet" will stay well-placed for telescopes as it passes through the southern sky during the eclipse. However, the planet's disk, as seen in a telescope (13.7 arc seconds), will now be only 55 percent as large as it appeared (25.1 arc seconds) during the close approach of Earth and Mars this past August 27. The Earth will have increased its distance of 55.8 million km (34.6 million mi) from Mars in last August to 102 million km (63.3 million mi) by the date of the lunar eclipse. Although still quite bright, Mars will also appear nearly six times fainter than it did in August.

Those who remain to see the end of the lunar eclipse can witness beautiful Saturn rising in the east-northeast but the ringed planet will be difficult to observe until well after the lunar eclipse ends.

**The Eclipse**
The second lunar eclipse of 2003 is again a total eclipse of the Moon. Like the first total lunar eclipse of 2003, which occurred six months earlier, this eclipse is entirely visible from Florida! The Moon will rise about six minutes before the Sun sets and fifteen minutes after the Moon first begins to enter the lighter part of the Earth's shadow (the penumbra). However, little change in the Moon's appearance will be noticed at first. By the time the sky has appreciably darkened, the eastern edge of the Moon will begin to noticeably darken as the Moon becomes well immersed in the penumbra. At 6:32 the Moon will enter the dark part of the Earth's shadow (umbra) as the Moon races through the Earth's shadow. However, at this eclipse, the Moon's path takes it well to the south of the umbral shadow's central axis resulting in only 25 minutes of totality. Scattered sunlight in the Earth's shadow may cause a larger variation in the degree of darkness and color on the eclipsed Moon, providing a fascinating evening for those watching this eclipse.

**Lunar Eclipse Times (Saturday Evening, 2003 November 8)** *
[Times **Eastern Standard Time**, which is Universal Time (UT) minus five hours]
P1. Moon enters penumbra⁽¹⁾	5:15 p.m.	Moon's Path Through Earth's Shadow and Area of Visibility Click image to open larger version in a new window (courtesy Fred Espenak, NASA/GFSC)
Moon Rises	5:32 p.m.
Sun Sets	5:38 p.m.
Civil Twilight Ends⁽²⁾	6:03 p.m.
Nautical Twilight Ends⁽³⁾	6:31 p.m.
U1. Moon enters umbra⁽⁴⁾	6:32 p.m.
Astronomical Twilight Ends⁽⁵⁾	6:59 p.m.
U2. Moon fully immersed in umbra	8:06 p.m.
Moon at greatest eclipse	8:18 p.m.
U3. Moon begins to leave umbra	8:31 p.m.
U4. Moon fully out of umbra	10:04 p.m.
P4. Moon leaves penumbra	11:22 p.m.
Notes: Penumbra Outer, lighter part of Earth's shadow. Civil Twilight Center of Sun 6° below horizon (brightest stars visible). Nautical Twilight Center of Sun 12° below horizon (horizon no longer visible). Umbra Inner, darker part of Earth's shadow. Astronomical Twilight Center of Sun 18° below horizon (sunlight scattered by atmosphere negligible).

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