Ken Miller

In the wee hours of Tuesday morning, December 21st on the East Coast (late Monday evening of the 20th on the West Coast) there will be a total lunar eclipse. The Earth will line up exactly between the Sun and Moon, blocking the sun’s rays from striking the moon and causing an eclipse; there’ll be an amber shadow over the moon. In addition, the beautiful Ursid meteor showers will be happening, so you might just see a shooting star or two.

According to NASA, the Western Hemisphere should promise great viewing of this cosmic event. It will start at about 1:33 a.m. Eastern time (10:33 p.m. Pacific time on the 20th), with the eclipse becoming total around 2:40 (11:40 pst) and lasting until about 4 a.m. NASA estimates the moon will be totally amber at about 3:17. If the night is clear, all you have to do is LOOK, with or without binoculars.

Even more amazing is that for the first time in centuries, the eclipse will occur on the night of the winter solstice – the shortest day of the year, celebrated by many cultures as a time of rebirth, when the darkest day is behind us. It’s widely believed that prehistoric Stonehenge is aligned on a sight-line that points to the winter solstice sunset…

BBC News

We figure Tuesday’s gonna be a cosmic triple whammy that’s worth taking note of. (We’re secretly wondering if it started as a gigantic improvisation?)

We couldn’t resist posting this Stonehenge Cake made out of ladyfingers…

nikas-culinaria.com

Related post: moon games

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