Lunar EclipseFebruary 20, 2008 at 8–10:30 p.m.

The last total lunar eclipse until Dec. 20, 2010, will occur on Wednesday, Feb. 20, and there will be an eclipse party in the Olin Observatory. If weather permits, we will have binoculars and low-power telescopes available for use. The observatory will be open from 8 to 10:30 p.m. If you cannot make it to the observatory, you can enjoy the eclipse from anywhere you can see the Moon. The eclipse's umbral phase begins at 7:43 p.m. CST. Earth's shadow takes 78 minutes to envelop the Moon. Totality (when the Moon lies completely within Earth's umbra) begins at 9:01 p.m. CST. The Moon will not disappear because some sunlight passing through Earth's atmosphere falls on the lunar surface, often giving the Moon a red hue.