The last lunar eclipse of 2011 as it was seen underway from
the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles on December 10, 2011,
(courtesy: Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty images)
The last full eclipse of the moon for 2011 will take place this Saturday, Dec. 10, and will be visible before dawn in Western North America, and then across the Pacific Ocean to Asia, Australia and Eastern Europe.
The moon will begin moving into Earth’s complete shadow at about 4:45 a.m. PST, and will be completely eclipsed by 6:05 a.m. PST.
The moon will appear reddish-orange because sunlight scatters when passing through Earth’s dusty atmosphere, and the hue will vary from blood red to bright orange depending on atmospheric conditions at the time.
It will also be inflated by the moon illusion, appearing to be much larger than usual when it hangs low in the sky. There may even be a hint of turquoise at the edge of the eclipse due to light passing through the ozone layer.
To make things even more unusual, a “selenelion” will manifest with both the eclipsed moon and the sun simultaneously visible. As you look west to see the moon dropping below the horizon, the sun will be rising behind you in the east.
Even though Earth will be between the moon and sun during the eclipse, our planet’s atmosphere refracts light from celestial objects so that they appear higher than they really are.
However, the bright twilight and the atmospheric haze may outshine and obscure the moon up to 15 minutes before sunrise.
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