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Credit & Copyright: Jean-Luc Dauvergne
(Ciel et Espace);
Music: ValŐre Leroy & Sophie Huet
(Space-Music)
Explanation:
If the full Moon suddenly faded, what would you see?
The answer during the total lunar
eclipse of 2011 June was recorded in a dramatic time
lapse
video from
Tajikistan.
During a
total lunar eclipse, the Earth moves between the Moon and the Sun, causing the
moon to fade dramatically.
The Moon never gets completely dark, though, since the Earth's atmosphere
refracts
some light.
As the above video begins, the scene may appear to be daytime and sunlit, but actually
it is a nighttime and lit by the glow of the full Moon.
As the moon becomes eclipsed and fades, the wind dies down and background stars can
be seen reflected in foreground lake.
Most spectacularly, the
sky surrounding the eclipsed moon
suddenly appears to be
full of stars and highlighted
by the busy plane of our
Milky Way Galaxy.
The sequence repeats with a closer view, and the final image shows the placement
of the eclipsed Moon near the
Eagle,
Swan,
Trifid, and
Lagoon nebulas.
Nearly two hours after the eclipse started, the moon emerged from the Earth's shadow
and its bright full glare again dominated the sky.
The next total lunar eclipse will occur
this Wednesday.
APOD Wall Calendar:
Moons and Planets
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: total lunar eclipse
Publications with words: total lunar eclipse
See also: