To see Tuesday's lunar eclipse you're either going to have to stay up late or get up early.
The good news is that, in the wake of a cold front on Monday, Houston has a reasonably good chance at partly to mostly clear skies. And with the cool weather, mosquitoes won't be a problem.
But the timing isn't great - the total eclipse of the moon doesn't begin until 2:06 a.m. on Tuesday morning, and it ends at 3:24 a.m.
"The only thing we would change, if we could have asked God, is to have the bloody thing earlier," said Carolyn Sumners, vice president of astronomy and the physical sciences at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
Our first since 2011
A lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon moves into the Earth's shadow, and one hasn't been visible in Houston since Dec. 10, 2011.
However, beginning with Tuesday's eclipse there will be a total of four total lunar eclipses during the next two years.
An occurrence of four total lunar eclipses in two years is known as a "tetrad," and although somewhat rare is not unprecedented. It will happen eight times this century.
It'll be a good show
The George Observatory, in Brazos Bend State Park, will be open all Monday night to view the eclipse, and will have telescopes to aid in observing the event, Sumners said.
But people can watch it as easily from their backyard, she added.
While outside watching the eclipse she recommends also looking for Mars and Saturn.
The bright light near the moon will be the star Spica, and appear blue and white. Mars, which is near its closest approach to Earth, will also be near the moon and quite bright, appearing reddish. On the other side of the moon, from Mars, will be Saturn.
You can tell they're planets and not stars, Sumners said, because they won't twinkle.
Source : http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Lunar-eclipse-to-grace-skies-Monday-night-5399690.php
