Whether you reside in the 20th or 21st century, the late night, early morning hours of January, 20th-21st should provide a dazzling spectacle. Weather permitting, the Americas and Western Europe will be able to view the first total lunar eclipse since 1966. Astronomers are expecting an extraordinary show.
Eclipses occur when the moon passes through the earth's shadow.
They always occur around the time of a full moon because that is when the moon and sun are on opposite sides of the earth. The clarity and brightness of the eclipse depends largely on the amount of dust and clouds in the earth's atmosphere. During the total phase of the 1992 lunar eclipse, the moon was practically invisible due to the volcanic dust from the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. Because there have been no recent, major volcanic eruptions, astronomers are predicting 2000's first lunar eclipse to be bright and colorful. There are two aspects to the earth's shadow.