A quick astronomy lesson

We had a total lunar eclipse here last night. I can't remember ever seeing one so it was pretty cool to have such a good view.

A lunar eclipse happens at the time of a full moon when the earth is between the sun and the moon, and when the moon passes through the earth's shadow - bet someone out there didn't know that! Last night's eclipse saw a perfect alignment of the sun, the earth, and the moon and the shadow started to cross the moon at about 10.30pm, with the height of the eclipse at around midnight. By the time the moon was in full shadow, it had become a nice reddish, orangey colour (see photos - taken from Nijmegen's very own starwatch centre!). We also had a good view of Saturn.

I do remember seeing a total solar eclipse back when I was in primary school - October 1976 according to the records. I remember our school class making cardboard viewing thingies with pinhole peepholes, and I also remember our chickens at home being VERY confused when darkness descended in the middle of the day :-)

Alli xxx