Lunar Eclipse Beckons

Despite the forecasted blast of arctic air heading our way Sunday – bundle up and brave the cold because the next opportunity to take in a spectacular full lunar eclipse won’t come until May 2022 !
Spanning late Sunday into early Monday – this will be the first time since 1975 that a total lunar eclipse coincides with a holiday weekend. The period of totality when Earth’s shadow blocks out the moon extends from 11:41pm Sunday until 12:43am Monday. Derrick explains why this eclipse is popularly (but inaccurately) referred to as “the blood moon” and “the super moon.” If cloud cover blocks the spectacle, Exploratorium.edu will webcast the event from Northern California.

Cotton is growing on the Moon . . albeit, inside the Chinese lander Chang’e 4. This marks the first time that seeds have sprouted on another world. Unfortunately, fluctuating temperatures caused the cotton sprout to quickly die.

In addition to Sunday’s Lunar Eclipse, this week also features a great opportunity to take in Winter Circle of constellations and bright stars.
Also, Venus slides past Jupiter in the pre-dawn sky this week.
Mars can be spotted in the southwest sky every clear evening after sunset.