moon me

On Sunday, I was taking some scenery photos and noticed how the moon was peeking through the very blue sky, making an early appearance. I've noticed it quite often that we can see it during daylight hours, and it's exciting. Don't ask me why. When either of the girls or I find the moon during the day, we let eachother know, and it's like we're mesmerized by it, looking up for moments at a time. We always look for details, for the 'man on the moon' or what shape the 'continents' look like.

Tonight is the lunar eclipse. I can't wait to drag my tripod and camera outside, and see what images I can capture. I have a tricky time with nighttime photos, so it may be a total bust, but we'll have the experience of seeing it with our naked eye, nonetheless.

Here's the information I picked up off Facebook, in case you're wondering times and such for your area.

A Lunar Eclipse takes place at a Full Moon when the Moon moves into the shadow of the Earth cast by the Sun. This takes place at the same instant for all observers, but the LOCAL time on the clock depends on your time zone!In North America (Canada & the US), the Total Eclipse takes place during:
Newfoundland ~ 11:30 p.m. - 12:21 a.m.
Atlantic ~ 11:00 - 11:51 p.m.
Eastern ~ 10:00 - 10:51 p.m
.Central ~ 9:00 - 9:51 p.m.
Mountain ~ 8:00 - 8:51 p.m.
Pacific ~ 7:00 - 7:51 p.m.
MEXICO, Central America and the Caribbean include all time zones listed above, so if you're not sure which time zone you're in, just keep your eyes on the skies from 7pm until midnight!
South American time zones range from UTC (GMT) -5 to -3, so the time will be from 10pm until 1am.
In Europe and Africa ~ 3:00 a.m. - 3:51 a.m. UTC (GMT) in the early morning of February 21Look 1 hour 20 minutes before and after to see the partial phases.
In Western regions, the Moon may rise partially eclipsed.You don't have to go to any special place to see the eclipse, as long as you can see the Moon from where you are: front porch, backyard, walking down the street.To the left of the Moon you will see the planet Saturn.It may help to look for the Moon on the night before, so you know roughly what part of the sky to look in. On eclipse night, the Moon will be further East and a little lower in the sky, compared to the previous night. But don't worry...a near-Full Moon is hard to miss, even in the city!

IS IT SAFE TO LOOK AT? SHOULD I BE WEARING PROTECTION?Not only can you view a Lunar Eclipse with the naked eye, it's absolutely amazing when viewed through binoculars. Better yet, you should try watching it through a telescope. Incredible.

THERE WON'T BE ANOTHER FOR ALMOST 3 YEARS, so you don't want to miss it!3 years? BUT I JUST SAW ONE IN AUGUST!Yes, there was a Total Eclipse on August 28, 2007. Eclipses run in cycles, as the moon does. Although there will be a few partial eclipses over the next few years, the next Total Eclipse won't be until December 21, 2010, when we will have 3 more Total Eclipses in a row over a 12 month period.