Lunar Eclipse 2008

(Image of the Lunar Eclipse of August 27, 2007, taken by Martin Pugh.)

You can find advance information about February's lunar eclipse here.

Check back at Revolving Rock closer to the time of the eclipse for updates and observing advice.

IMAGE CREDIT: Please note that the above photograph is of the August 27, 2007 lunar eclipse, and was taken by astrophotgrapher Martin Pugh. That coloring was stunningly red during that eclipse, and Mr. Pugh's image captures it beautifully. It was showcased on the August 30th edition of Astronomy Picture of the Day.

Peru Meteorite Crash Causes 'Mystery Illness'

If you didn't catch this on today's news, check out this article. I'll be curious to hear what the cause of the illnesses is, if it can be determined.

"In The Shadow of the Moon" Coming Soon to Nearby Theatres

Back in July I mentioned why I think this movie should be seen (and I recommended a related TV series).

It's now making its U.S. premier (in Hollywood and NYC)--which I'm going to attend tonight--and in the weeks ahead, it will appear in major cities nationwide.

Don't miss it!

Meteor "Storm" This Saturday?

You're going to start to think I'm crying astronomical wolf. But I swear to you, brother, it's purely coincidence that there's lately been so many celestial events worthy of your attention.

So here we go again...

There's a "skywatching wildcard" early on the morning of September 1st (this Saturday). I'm not going to get your hopes up, but neither can I fail to inform you that it is possible that observers in the Western states may be treated to one of the greatest meteor shower in their lives, with rates of meteors of up to 1,000 an hour. (Compare that with the annual Perseids, which on average deliver 60-80 meteors per hour.)

Possible.

Read the article here, "Earth to Hit Aurigid Meteors?" in Sky & Telescope.

UPDATE: More info here at NASA's dedicated Aurigid Meteor site. The meteor shower will look best from the places marked below:

Amazing Weather Phenomenon Discovered!

Undoubtedly there are earthly phenomena you know about, but just haven't witnessed firsthand. Hurricanes, volcanoes, and earthquakes are a few candidates that personally come to mind. (Despite having lived the majority of my life in Illinois, happily I've even yet to see a tornado!)

Conversely, there are phenomena you may have experienced, but never knew what it was, or even that it had a name, for example: Sun dogs, crepuscular rays, green flash, or Belt of Venus. (I know; cool right? Now you know.)

But how rare is it that you come across a phenomenon which you had neither heard of nor experienced in your entire life? Well, probably as rare as GJs--"Gigantic jets".

Believe it or not, "Gigantic jets" are newly discovered, and were inadvertantly captured on film for the first time in the continental U.S. just nine days ago by one Mr. Richard Smedley of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Watch these powerful discharges in the video linked above, and read more about them here, on today's APOD.

Missed the Lunar Eclipse? Despair Not...

There will be another total lunar eclipse, visible across all North America, on February 20, 2008.
This one will occur in the evening hours.

My sincere apologies to you if you missed sleep on Tuesday but wouldn't have bothered doing so had you known this in advance!

But... I hope you did see Tuesday's eclipse. I did, and I'm glad, because not all eclipses are the same! The exact coloration of the Moon depends upon the amount of dust and smoke present in the Earth's atmosphere at the time of the eclipse, as well as how far the Moon penetrates the inner part of Earth's shadow. Tuesday's eclipse was, in my opinion, especially beautiful--a uniform, pale red when the eclipse reached totality--so presumably these factors were at play in just the right way.

Within the next day, I'll update this entry with a link to some photos when I get the chance to look for some good ones.

UPDATE: From APOD, image credit & copyright Martin Pugh.