It was just a normal cold, crisp evening in Oneonta, until people started looking up at the sky between approximately 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. where they saw something a little different happen to the moon. The sky held a showing of a total lunar eclipse on Saturday, November 8. Within the next two weeks, the Leonid Showers will make themselves present, making the month of November very busy for Earth's celestial territory.
The eclipse began to take on form around 5:15 p.m. with the first phase, as the moon moved into the Earth's penumbra, which is a grayish, partial shadow. The night became colder, and the moon rose higher and the eclipse progressed. After 6 p.m., the shadow of the eclipse could be more noticible to civilians. "It was like the moon had a dark sheath or something over it," said sophomore Jenna LeRoux.
Whether you are interested in astronomy, just gaze at the stars for fun, or happen to luckily be out in the sub-freezing weather, you were in for a treat. Some students huddled together in anticipation of the full eclipse Saturday night. "It was something worth standing in the cold for," said sophomore Sarah Netzband.
As the night was exceptionally clear, making it a perfect fall night, the overhead moon turned its rusty color at the peak of the eclipse. "The lunar eclipse was a very interesting sight to see," said LeRoux. "I believe every person should have had the experience to view it." The next lunar eclipse will be visible late October 2004.