GC623TQ TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE September 27, 2015 (Event Cache) in South Carolina, United States created by The Scout Master

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GC623TQ ▼

A cache by The Scout Master Message this owner

Hidden : Sunday, September 27, 2015

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Size: Size: other (other)

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Geocache Description:

A TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE will occur Sunday, September 27, 2015,
and YOU CAN WATCH IT AT A GEOCACHING EVENT!

We'll be meeting at the Burdette Branch Taylors, SC Library, 316 W Main St, Taylors, SC (between Greenville and Greer) on SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2015, Beginning at 9:00 PM, although you can arrive at any time between 9 pm and 11pm. (TOTALITY will be from about 10:20 to 11:20 pm)

All Geocachers and those interested are invited. Since the eclipse lasts a good while, there will be time to socialize, discuss recent geocaching trips and favorite caches you have done or heard about. Newbies and those interested in geocaching will have the opportunity to learn about geocaching from seasoned veterans.
Bring any Geocoins or Travel Bugs to show, trade or that need to travel. (Remember - bring something to light them up with as it will be dark). There is no source of water so bring something to drink if you wish.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO BRING A LAWN CHAIR

NOTE: When an eclipse of the Moon takes place, everyone on the night side of Earth can see it. Even if you do NOT come to this cache event and location for the eclipse, you will still be able to watch it from where you live (IF the sky is clear and not cloudy). BUT, you KNOW you'd rather watch it with other geocachers!

Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are completely safe to watch. You don't need any kind of protective filters. It isn't even necessary to use a telescope. You can watch the lunar eclipse with nothing more than your own two eyes. If you have a pair of binoculars, they will help magnify the view and will make the red coloration brighter and easier to see. A standard pair of 7x35 or 7x50 binoculars work fine.

An ECLIPSE takes place when the Earth passes through the shadow of the Moon (a Solar Eclipse), or the Moon passes through a shadow of the Earth (a LUNAR ECLIPSE).

A LUNAR ECLIPSE (agan, when the Moon passes through the Earth's shadow), and can be PARTIAL or TOTAL. Hence, a lunar eclipse can only occur the night of a full moon.

A TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE is when the Moon passes into the center of the Earth’s shadow, and can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, (called in "SYZYGY"), or very closely so, with the Moon in the middle of and completely in the shadow of the Earth.

As the eclipse begins, the Earth's shadow first darkens the Moon slightly. Then, the shadow begins to "cover" part of the Moon, eventually turning it a dark red-brown color as it goes to totality (typically - the color can vary based on atmospheric conditions). The Moon appears to be reddish because of Rayleigh Scattering (the same effect that causes sunsets to appear reddish) and the refraction of that light by the Earth's atmosphere into its umbra.

This eclipse will begin on the evening of September 27, 2015, and will last for about 3 hrs and 20 minutes from beginning to end. The Moon will be totally eclipsed (Totality) for about 1 hr and 12 mins.

TIMING (approximate) for the September 27. 2015 FULL LUNAR ECLIPSE at Taylors, SC

Event designation	ECLIPSE EVENT NAME	Time (EDT)
P 1: Begin Penumbral. Earth's penumbra touches Moon's outer edge.	Begin Penumbral	8:12 PM
U 1: Begin Partial Eclipse-Earth's umbra touches the Moon's outer edge.	BEGIN UMBRAL	9:07 PM
U 2: Begin Total Eclipse. The Moon is entirely within Earth's umbra.	BEGIN TOTALITY	10:11 PM
MAX TOTAL Eclipse: The Moon is closest to center of Earth's umbra.	MID-ECLIPSE	10:47 PM
U 3: End Total Eclipse. The Moon's outer limb exits the Earth's umbra.	END TOTALITY	11:23 PM
U 4: End Partial Eclipse. Earth's umbra leaves the Moon's surface.	END UMBRAL	12:27 AM
P 4: End Penumbral Eclipse. Earth penumbra no longer contacts the Moon.	END PENUMBRAL	1:22 AM

The above (from Smithsonian diagram of Lunar Eclipse) shows the geometry of a lunar eclipse. When the Sun, Earth, and Moon, are precisely aligned, a lunar eclipse will occur. During an eclipse the Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon. Earth creates two shadows: the outer, pale shadow called the penumbra, and the dark, inner shadow called the umbra. The eclipse is noticeable once the Moon enters the umbra.

This eclipse is the fourth and last in what is called a TETRAD, - a series of four successive, or consecutive total lunar eclipses, with no partial eclipses in between, each of which is separated from the other by six lunar months (six full moons).

The full moon nearly always appears coppery red during a total lunar eclipse, again because the dispersed light from all the Earth’s sunrises and sunsets falls on the face of the moon at mid-eclipse.

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