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IU Kokomo Observatory opens for total lunar eclipse
October 30, 2003 | |||||
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KOKOMO, Ind.—Come watch the moon “disappear” behind Earth’s shadow Saturday, November 8, during a special open house at the Indiana University Kokomo Observatory. Visitors will be able to view the total lunar eclipse through the observatory’s 14-inch telescope from 6:30–10 p.m. Admission is free. Three members of the Kokomo Astronomy Club—Ron Brown, Jim Barnes and Richard Thomas—will help spectators observe the eclipse and other skyward phenomena through smaller telescopes set up outside the observatory. (If Kokomo skies are overcast at the start time, viewing will not be possible, and the open house will be canceled.) A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth passes between its own moon and the sun, casting a circular shadow over the moon’s surface. In a total lunar eclipse, the Earth’s shadow, or “umbra,” completely covers the moon for a short period of time. Rick Steldt, Ph.D., director of observatory operations and an associate professor of physics, said the moon will be partially eclipsed when it rises around 6:30 p.m. on November 8 in the northeast sky over Kokomo. “Totality” (when the moon appears totally in shadow) will start around 8 p.m. and will continue until around 8:25 p.m., he said. The moon will then start to re-emerge from behind the umbra, until the eclipse concludes around 10 p.m.
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