FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: April 28, 2003
Contact: Charles Schweighauser, 206-6720
SPRINGFIELD – A total lunar eclipse will be visible in
this area, weather permitting, on Thursday, May 15.
Moonrise is at 7:55 (CDT) that evening.
At 9:03 p.m., the moon will begin
making contact with the dark part (umbra) of the earth’s shadow, becoming
totally immersed at 10:14 p.m. Totality will last 53 minutes, and the moon will
begin moving out of the earth’s shadow at 11:07 p.m. Final contact with the
umbra will be at 12:17 a.m.
Charles Schweighauser, professor of astronomy
and physics at the University of Illinois at Springfield, explained that a
total eclipse can occur only when the moon is full – when it is on the opposite
side of the sky from the sun. Neither will the moon be completely dark because
of sunlight refracted through the earth’s atmosphere.
“The color of the moon while in shadow can
range from light copper to dark red, depending on the amount of dust in the
atmosphere, particularly from volcanoes,” said Schweighauser.
He added that if the weather is clear, the
eclipse can be safely viewed from anywhere with the naked eye, binoculars, or a
telescope. The UIS observatory will not be open because Schweighauser will be
working with his students that night.
The last total eclipse of the moon visible in
central Illinois occurred on January 20, 2000.
For more information, contact Schweighauser at 206-6720.
-30-