Eclipse on Sat., April 4

A very short (5 minutes in totality) eclipse of the moon is going to happen early in the morning of Sat., April 4. If you can wake up in the middle of the night to watch this, it would be great. I'm going to try to.

Here's some information about it, from Sky & Telescope Magazine: "A total lunar eclipse has five stages, with different things to watch for at each. You only need your eyes to see this celestial drama unfold, though the view is certainly better through binoculars or a small backyard telescope. " The article goes on to explain what to look for at each of the five stages.


And this map shows the path our view of the eclipse will take:

Let's say you're awake and aware but your view is obscured by clouds (probably will be the case where I live). Then you can watch the NASA live-streaming video of the eclipse here.

And, more from Sky & Telescope: Some "useful projects" related to the lunar eclipse. Here I read for the first time that Christopher Columbus "timed the start and end of a lunar eclipse in 1504 during his fourth trip to the New World." Read on to find out why the information he got from that "useful project" was slightly inaccurate.

timed the start and end of a lunar eclipse in 1504 during his fourth trip to the New World. - See more at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/useful-projects-for-a-lunar-eclipse/#sthash.EmjvzhVr.dpuf