by Spenser Garber
On the morning of October 8, the Earth’s shadow passed over the surface of the moon, causing a lunar eclipse. Many people across North America watched in amazement as the moon turned a vibrant red for a couple of hours. The start of the eclipse was at 4:20 A.M. and lasted until after the moonset at 6:53 A.M.
The PSC Astronomy Club set up about 12 telescopes behind the planetarium at 4:00 A.M. Nearly 50 people trickled in and out throughout the eclipse to take a look through telescopes and learn about the stars that were visible at the time.
PSC Astronomy teacher Dr. Wayne Wooten explains why the lunar eclipse made the moon look red. “It looks red because the sky is blue. There is the scattering of dust motes. If the blue is left behind, what gets through are the long [waves], the reds and the oranges.”
The next lunar eclipse will be on September 27, 2015.