ECLIPSE OF MOON

Taranaki Daily News, 19 January 1935, Page 4

ECLIPSE OF MOON

OBSERVABLE AT NEW PLYMOUTH TOTALITY EARLY TO-MORROW. The total lunar eclipse which will occur in the early hours to-morrow morning is the first of two such phenomena this year. The second will not be visible in New Zealand. According to a report from Mr. F. J. Morshead, curator at the New Plymouth observatory, the eclipse will commence technically about 38 minutes after 12 o’clock to-night. The moon will then enter the penumbra, the partially shaded cone of the earth’s shadow, and its light will gradually diminish in intensity until 1.53 a.m. At this time the 'edge of the moon impinges on the edge of the central dark cone of the shadow, and as the shadow advances across the moon’s disc the surface is progressively darkened until totality is reached at 3.3 a.m. The moon’s light will not then be entirely extinguished, an interesting feature at this stage generally being the coppery glow which is emitted with varying intensity during different eclipses. Totality will end at 4.30 a.m., and the moon will set before the last phase is completed. Last year a total eclipse of the moon did not occur, there being only two partial eclipses.