Will Denver See the Lunar Eclipse or Wait Until 2010?

If you miss Wednesday's lunar eclipse you'll have to wait nearly three years for the next one, so get ready! In Denver there's a risk of a cloudy night, but it's still worth trying to see it and there's a lot more to see than just a big bite out of the moon. If the clouds do come as predicted, try to stay away from highly illuminated areas where the clouds will reflect the local light.

Director of Miami's Space Transit Planetarium Jack Horkheimer, whose weekly 1 and 5 minute "Jack Horkheimer: Star Gazer" shows have appeared on PBS and international broadcasts for decades (formerly called "Jack Horkheimer: Star Hustler" which did reflect his wonderful enthusiasm), has a wonderful summary of Wednesday's event. You can watch his show at his site, in Realplayer or Quicktime format, or read his script. What you'll see is that the eclipse includes not only a moonlit sky turning gradually dark over several hours (starting just after sunset here in Denver), but also a changing of the moon's appearance from a while disk to anything from bright orange to fiery red. Even with some clouds in the way, you're bound to have an experience you won't forget.

According to the 9News website, two observatories in the Denver area will be opening to the public for the lunar eclipse - the University of Denver's Chamberlain Observatory in Observatory Park, 2930 E. Warren Ave, just south of E. Evans and west of Colorado Boulevard (info 303-871-5172), and at the Community College of Aurora campus, (16000 East Centretech Parkway Aurora, CO 80011).. Getting up above the city to the west, either by driving or taking the #21 bus up to the Alameda Parkway area you can get an impressive view of the moonlit city going dark. Binoculars will be just fine for viewing if you don't want to bring your telescope.

9News notes that moonrise and the very beginning of the eclipse a few minutes later will occur just before sunset local time in Denver, at 5:31pm. According to Horkheimer's program, the really visible part of the eclipse will be at 8:01pm Denver time (10:01 Eastern) until 8:51pm, when the moon will begin to reappear finishing at 10:09pm. As an additional treat, the planet Saturn will be highly visible nearby as the moon darkens, Horkheimer says.

If you want to take pictures, it's not that hard! Most modern cameras will adjust the exposure and focus for an object as bright as the moon, but the exposure will take at least several seconds, so you should have a tripod to keep your camera steady. A monopod will also work, and the picture accompanying this article was taken by leaning against a telephone pole, breathing in, and pressing the shutter button on a digital camera very slowly, releasing breath only after the exposure completed. Taking a picture of the eclipsed moon, orange or red, may be a little bit harder than while it's partially eclipsed and much brighter.

Enjoy the eclipse, and do check out Jack Horkheimer's show, online on or many PBS stations. You'll find there are lot more interesting things happening in the night sky that you can see with just your unaided eyes. As a storyteller and astronomer for a long time, Horkheimer knows how to make the stars come alive, and as he always says, "keep looking up!"

"JH STAR GAZER HOME PAGE", http://www.jackstargazer.com/

"Don't Miss Feb. 20's Total Eclipse Of the Moon, The Last Total Eclipse For Three Years", http://podcast.miamisci.org/podcastmedia/SG0806.m4v (QuickTime), http://www.miamisci.org:8080/ramgen/stargazer/SG0806.rm?usehostname (RealPlayer)

"Lunar eclipse may be covered by clouds", Marty Coniglio (9News Meteorologist), http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=86703

"Jack Horkheimer: Star Gazer", http://www.miamisci.org/www/planetarium_stargazer.php