Spectacular Solar Eclipse This Sunday
May 15, 2012 9:33 AM Celestially speaking, this has been a pretty awesome month! We have already had the Super Moon, and a Meteor Shower, and this Sunday we’ll get to see another lunar/solar spectacle! A pretty terrific solar eclipse is coming up this Sunday afternoon/evening. The moon will cover 81% of the sun. This is the first time in a decade that Idaho has been in the moon’s shadow. The eclipse starts at 6:17 p.m. and will be at its peak at 7:28 p.m. You do need eye protection to see the eclipse! The Herrett Center is selling special, low-priced eclipse glasses and the Centennial Observatory will be open to provide help with the viewing as well as providing a scientific explanation of what’s happening. It’s all free of charge.
Speaking of space – Chris Anderson’s bi-monthly Astronomy Talk will be this Friday evening at 8:15 in the Herrett Center’s Rick Allen Room. “James Cook’s Venus Transit Voyage.” Chris will talk about Cook’s first voyage in 1768 to observe the planet Venus silhouetted on the sun’s face from the South Pacific. Learn about this rare event that we’ll be able to see here in Idaho on Tuesday, June 5th!
A partial lunar eclipse is also coming up soon – starting at 2:45 a.m. Monday, June 4. This won’t be a total lunar eclipse – 31% of the moon will be darkened by the earth’s shadow.
Get more info at the Herrett Center or the Space website.
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