The Moon during a total lunar eclipse in November 1993.
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of Andy Steere

Total Lunar Eclipse - November 2003
News story originally written on November 7, 2003

The second total lunar eclipse of 2003 will occur on the night of Saturday, November 8th. The Earth's shadow will darken the Moon for a total of more than four hours, while the "total eclipse phase" spans a period of about 25 minutes. If you live in the eastern part of North America, the middle of the eclipse occurs around 8:19 P.M. The eclipse begins before moonrise as seen on the West Coast, so the Moon will be tinted red as it rises in the West. The copper hue of the Moon during a lunar eclipse is caused by red light refracting through Earth's atmosphere which lights the Moon

Earth's shadow has two parts: a lighter outer ring, and an inner, darker circle. During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon passes through both sections of this shadow, so there are several different stages to the eclipse. The link to NASA's page about this eclipse (below) provides details about the times of the different stages for viewers in various locations.

Last modified November 7, 2003 by Randy Russell.

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