Even though the Boston Red Sox mounted a historic comeback against New York this postseason, bitter Yankees fans still say it will be a cold day in Hell before Boston breaks the Curse of the Bambino. Tonight's World Series Game 4 won't feature frigid temperatures in the underworld, but its backdrop will be a spectacular celestial show that won't be visible in our hemisphere again until 2007.
Lunar eclipses, whether partial or total, occur on average twice a year, but people don't always notice them. But tonight's eclipse is expected to be the most-seen eclipse ever, assuming FOX cameras capture the event during the game.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the Earth's shadow, temporarily fading from view. An eclipse can be total or partial depending on how much of the moon is obscured by shadow. When the moon passes completely into the shadow, or umbra, we get a total eclipse; when it is concealed by only part of the shadow, or penumbra, we see a partial eclipse. Tonight's eclipse will be total, providing a more stunning sight.
The eclipse starts at 7:05 p.m. Central time, the same scheduled time as the first pitch, though an observer won't perceive anything unusual in the sky at that point. This will be when the moon starts to enter the penumbra.
\So if you were on the moon looking at the Earth, the Earth would be starting to block the sun, but you could still see sunlight,"" said Jim Lattis, director of UW-Madison department of astronomy's Space Place.
The real excitement begins at 8:14 p.m., when the moon passes into the umbra and the visible part of the eclipse starts.
""It won't look the same as the typical moon phases [like a crescent moon],"" Lattis said. ""It will look like the moon with a bite taken out, and the bite will get bigger."" By 9:23 p.m., the moon will be completely in the penumbra, but that doesn't mean it will disappear completely from view.
""You'll still see it-it will probably be a deep dusky reddish,"" Lattis said. The light that enables us to see it won't be sunlight, which will be completely obscured by this point-it will be from light reflected through the Earth's atmosphere, which acts as a large lens. Lattis said the color can vary depending on atmospheric conditions like cloud cover, and even Mount St. Helens could affect the color the moon appears because of the volcanic dust it recently spewed.
At 10:04 p.m. the moon will pass through the deepest part of the umbra and begin to re-emerge at 10:44 p.m, about the same time Derek Lowe should be wrapping up his perfect game.
Jay Gallagher, UW-Madison professor of astronomy, said, ""Then the moon will brighten again. It'll be beautiful-it will look like sunset all over the Earth, from the light coming back from the moon to the Earth."" The visible show will end by 11:53 p.m., when the moon moves out of the umbra back into the penumbra. Finally, at 1:02 a.m., the eclipse will be completely over.
Gallagher said this eclipse will be visible throughout all of the central U.S., and anyone can see it by going outside and looking up. For people who want to get a closer look, Lattis invites the public to the UW Space Place at 1605 S. Park St., where astronomers will have telescopes set up free between 8 and 10 p.m. and volunteers will be on hand to answer questions.
""Even if you can't come down and watch it from here, don't miss it,"" Lattis said. ""It will be beautiful.""
Dinesh Ramde is a graduate student in journalism, and he approves this column. If you don't, let him know at dramde@wisc.edu.
