Did you know that this is your last chance to view a TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE until December 20, 2010? That’s quite some time to wait! A total lunar eclipse takes place when a full moon passes into the Earth’s shadow and is blocked from the sun’s rays, which ordinarily illuminates it. During the eclipse, the Earth will line up directly between the Sun and the Moon, which will be covered by the Earth’s shadow. The cool thing is that the full moon will actually turn yellowish and then appear blood red, rusty or grey, depending on the atmospheric conditions on Earth.

Reuter’s News interviewed a Royal Astronomical Society spokesperson who said: “The lunar eclipse promises to be a spectacular sight. Unlike the solar equivalent, the whole event is quite safe to watch and needs no special equipment.”

Check out the eclipse with your naked eye! Several museums and observatories across the continent are hosting special sightings tonight, February 20, 2008:

• “Total Lunar Eclipse Viewing at OMSI” at 5:43pm - 9:09pm at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, OR
• “Moonlighting With Total Lunar Eclipse” at 8:00pm - 10:00pm at Wild Basin Wilderness in Austin, TX
• “Lunar Eclipse Watch” at 9:00pm - 10:30pm at the Arboretum on Alumni Drive in Lexington, KY
• “Lunar Eclipse Hike” at 9:00pm - 10:30pm at North Chagrin Nature Center - North Chagrin Reservation in Mayfield Village, OH
• “Lunar Eclipse: Free Star Party” at 8:30pm at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa, Ontario
• “Total Eclipse of the Moon” at 9:00pm - 11:00pm at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, MA

If you’d like to learn more about the science behind the total lunar eclipse, visit NASA’s website!

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