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OUT GOES THE MOON

A WEEK-END ECLIPSE LONG PERIOD OF TOTALITY ■Those who like to sit up late on Saturday night next, iv fact well on into tho early hours of Sunday morning, will be rewarded with the sight of a celestial phenomenon which, although not rare, always arouses interest.;' A total eclipse of the nioon, for that is what the phenomenon will "b.e, is. of much more frequent occurrence than a total eclipse of the sun, and does not provide either the astronomer pv the casual server with much about which to get. , excited. The coming eclipse, the visibility of which of course, depend,? upon the sta.te 'of the weather, will, if the sky,is. clear/, < ;be visible from all parts of the Dominion.' On Saturday, evening at 8.35 p.m. tho penumbral eclipse will commence^ resulting in an almost Imperceptible ' darkening of, tho lunar disc-. It will not be until'9.4B p.m. that the ordinary observer will notice the earth's shadow gradually infringing upon the moon. The shadow will first be observed at. the lower right-hand, side, an.d it TtfiU slowly spread across the whole face of the moon, totality being reached at 11.1 ■■ p.m. From that hour until 12.18 on. Sunday morning totality lyill QonUnue, making quite a long period, of total eclipse. Quite what, will be seen, during totality depends very much upon. the. state of the atmosphere at the time:the moon may become quite invisible, or it may be seen of a reddish coppw ; colour. During the total eclipse of the I moon in June last year some beautiful | colours were observed on the eclipsed | o,rb, and the edge of the shadow was so bright that the eclipse hardly.looked like total. As tho magnitude of the forthcoming eclipse will be 1.24.7 times the moon's diameter, follows the shadow will considerably overlap the moon's disc, so the phenomenon of tihe bright edge is hardly likely to be witnessed this time. At 12.1& a.ip, the shadow will begin to move away* uncovering the mQon from. tl^e lower' right-hand side, the part to be ftrst obscured, upwards. At 1.32 a,ni. th« actual shadow wil} have gone^ but jen«. umbral eclipse continues until12.45 a.m. By that hour,' .however, probably all observers except a very few keel astronomers will have retired, to rest. At the Dominion Observatory, Kelburn, the eclipse will be observed with ! more interest than is often the case ta. connection with lunar eelipsejj-. Special calculations have been prepared, hj the Geenwich Observatory as regard.* the occultation of certain stars, during . the eclipse, and, in response to a, special request, these occulta'tions will be th» subject of special observation.

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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19280531.2.68

Bibliographic details

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 127, 31 May 1928, Page 10

Word Count
438

OUT GOES THE MOON Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 127, 31 May 1928, Page 10

OUT GOES THE MOON Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 127, 31 May 1928, Page 10