|
Happening at the Crossroads
February 15, 2008
by Coggin Heeringa So...
do you have to go to the Leif Everson Observatory by 9:00 PM
on Wedmesday, February 20 to see the lunar eclipse? No, being
in most places in North or South America, Western Europe, Western
Africa and a few places in Asia will be close enough.
A lunar
eclipse occurs when the Earth come directly between the Sun and the
full moon, which causes the shadow of the Earth to fall on the
moon. You might wonder why this does not happen every time we
have a full moon.
It has to do with the orbits. The moon's orbit
around the Earth is tipped about 5 degrees in relation to the Earth's
orbit around the Sun. So most months, the moon's path is just a
little higher or lower than where the Earth's Shadow falls.
Several times each year, part of the Earth's shadow darkens the
moon, and we call that a "partial lunar eclipse."
This time, we
will experience a total lunar eclipse and if there are no cloud
cover (a big IF in February) and if we are lucky, the moon will
turn an eerie orangish-red. This happens because the sunlight
passing through the Earth's atmosphere filters out the blue light, but
some of the red light is bent in such a way that it illuminates the
darkened moon. The more dust or other particles in our
atmosphere, the more intense the red color.
It's perfectly
safe to watch a lunar eclipse, which will reach totality at 9:01 PM our
time. Folks who attend the "Saving Big Bucks by Saving Energy" program
at the Collins Learning Center will be leaving just at the moon is most
beautiful.
But starting at 7:00 P.M., members of the Door
Peninsula Astronomical Society will be up in the StarGarden, willing to
share binoculars, telescopes and explanations with all who wish to join
them. Use the Utah Street Entrance (at the Cove Road stop sign) to get
the to the observatory and StarGarden.
Saturday, February 23, at
2:00, Wild Ones of Door County will present the lecture: "Shade
Gardening With Native Plants" Learn the benefits of landscaping
with native plants, site and design considerations, plant selection
criteria, see a slide show of native plants for shade and obtain
resource information to assist you in gardening successfully with
native plants in those shady areas on your property. The speaker,
Clifford Orsted is a member of The Wild Ones of Door County and owner
of Door Landscape, which specializes in natural landscapes using native
plants.
Crossroads at Big Creek is a donor supported learning
center dedicated to lifelong learning in science, history, and the
environment. It is located at 2041 Michigan Street (County TT) in
Sturgeon Bay.
The
Collins Learning Center at Crossroads is located at on County Highway T
across from Whitetails Unlimited. To reach the Leif Everson Observatory
and Stonecipher Astronomy Center, use the Utah Street Entrance. If
skies are clear, call 746-5896 for a recorded message announcing
whether the observatory will be open.
|
