How to View a Lunar Eclipse, or the Lighter Side of the Dark Side of the Moon

Lunar eclipses are overshadowed by solar eclipses, which is unfortunate as they, too, offer a beautiful and colorful show. Unlike the solar events, you can view a moon eclipse directly with no harmful effects.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Knowledge of an upcoming lunar eclipse.
• a clear, unobstructed view of the moon with a minimum of diluting/distracting city lights.
• telescope or binoculars; camera

1. The eclipse begins. Almanacs, newspapers and TV weather reports are the tip off to upcoming celestial events. Check your local listings and you may be lucky enough to hook up with a museum, planetarium or amateur astonomy club willing to share their telescopes with the general public. There may even be a bonus side show or two. Saturn burned brightly for the naked eye right next to the most recently eclipsing moon - and its rings could be seen with the aid of a telescope.
2. The last sliver of moon unexpectedly takes on an emerald green hue.. No clouds obscure the Boston sky on the night of 2/20/08. The low rising moon over Quincy Bay is huge and orange, reflecting the recently set sun. This correspondent had the good fortune of observing the eclipse right outside the front door - and being able to pop back inside intermittently on a cold, February night. An eclipse happens when the sun, earth and moon line up; causing earth to cast a shadow over the moon.
3. Look for dark eyes, nose and cheeks. Has the eclipse revealed the man in the moon? After the orange debut, the moon morphs white. As it vanishes the last sliver takes on an unexpected green hue resembling a slice of Key lime pie. For a finale, covered in shadows, the moon becomes coppery red.
   Continue on to "Tips and Warnings" for some loony lunar lore.

Tips & Warnings

• A great serpent is swallowing the sun or moon! So thought many ancient cultures during an eclipse. Lucky for them, the snake barfs it back up eventually.
• Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" had an American transported back in time "predicting" an eclipse to the amazement of the locals.
• It's said by certain rock and roll djs that listening to "The Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd while watching "The Wizard of Oz" with the sound off is a cosmic experience. (There may be a certain herbal influence involved.) This could be part of a "lunar eclipse" party!
• Ever wonder what happens to a werewolf during a lunar eclipse? Turns out the whole "full moon" deal is pure myth - the traditional lycanthrope can shape shift at any given time.
• Similarly, there are no statistics to back up the "People are acting crazy - there must be a full moon" cliche. "Looney", "lunatic" and "looney bin" are inaccurate (and politically incorrect) terms.
• There are usually 12 full moons each year - but every few years, there's a 13th, known as the blue moon, as in "once in a blue moon". Why this particular moon is described as blue is unknown, although under certain rare conditions the moon CAN appear to be blue. Some think the moon is made of green cheese, but I'll hold out for the blue cheese dressing, myself.
• Moon is another name for the platy fish as well as those marshmallowy pie things. "Moonies" are a religious cult named after their leader, Rev. Moon. Deceased rocker Frank Zappa named his daughter Moon Unit. Finally, we all know about getting mooned.
• The next showing of a lunar eclipse: 2010 (sorry).