Total lunar eclipse

The lunar eclipse in January 2000 as seen from Uppsala. Credit: Johan Warell, SAAF's gallery

On the night between March 3 och 4, 2007, we can once again enjoy a total lunar eclipse, if the weather permits it. The part of the eclipse visible to the naked eye starts at 22:30 and will be over at 2:12. Between 23:44 and 0:58, the Moon will be completely eclipsed, with the maximum at 0:21. During the totality, the Moon can be seen in the south at a height of 36 degrees over the horizon in Stockholm. During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon does not "disappear" completely, but will be coloured red or redbrown. The reason for this is that the red part of the sunlight is refracted in the Earth's atmosphere and hits the Moon. More information on the lunar eclipse can for example be found on Sky and Telescope's webpage.

In connection to this, Stockholm astronomer Göran Östlin will be a guest on SVT's "Gomorron Sverige" to answer questions on Friday, March 2.