Comments on: Followup: Supereclipse

By: Matt B.

Matt B. — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:46:25 +0000

The Earth is definitely not at a focus of that ellipse; parts of the curve actually get closer to Earth than the near end of the major axis. It’s just disconcerting.

An eclipse is a great occasion to talk about the 18.6-year cycle of precession of the moon’s orbital tilt.

By: scibuff

scibuff — Tue, 22 May 2012 20:53:44 +0000

Here is an APOD of Earthshine and Moon during a total solar eclipse http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080808.html

That should give you a good idea about what would be involved of seeing features on the lunar surface during an eclipse

By: Neil Haggath

Neil Haggath — Mon, 21 May 2012 21:31:10 +0000

#20 Nigel:
Yes, the competition still goes on. I think the record for the youngest Moon sighting is something like 14 hours. Sky and Telescope gives predictions for when record sightings might be possible.
This is especially popular in Islamic countries, because in the Islamic lunar calendar, the start of certain events, such as Ramadan, is taken to be the time of the first sighting of the “New” Moon. I think the record is held by a group of amateur astronomers in Iran.

By: Nigel Depledge

Nigel Depledge — Mon, 21 May 2012 09:14:55 +0000

Karen MH (18) said:

Since the earth’s pole change, would that explain why this super eclipse is/has happening/happened a month earlier e.g. Dec & May instead of Jan & Jun?

When did the Earth have a pole change?

By: Nigel Depledge

Nigel Depledge — Mon, 21 May 2012 09:13:06 +0000

Robert (9) said:

So is it possible to see the moon when it is in the new moon phase?

Yes.

Whether you refer to the tiniest sliver of sunlit moon at new moon, or whether you refer to the fully-dark new moon, it is possible to see it. It’s just not easy.

I don’t know if this still happens, but there used to be a kind of informal competition among astronomers to get the earliest glimpse of a new moon (the tiny sunlit sliver). This is hard to see because the new moon is always close to the sun in the sky (IIRC, just after sunset is the best time to try and view the new moon), so it is mostly up during daytime when the sky is bright. And because the early new moon is a very thin crescent, it does not give much light to capture.

Then again, I am sure it would be possible to get a long-ish exposure pic of the fully-dark new moon during a total solar eclipse, when Earthshine will illuminate the near side of the moon. But I would be surprised if it were possible to make out details on the moon in these circumstances by eye.

By: Neil Haggath

Neil Haggath — Sun, 20 May 2012 22:18:00 +0000

#4 Stu Harris:
Actually, being pedantic, it has perihelia and aphelia.

By: Karen MH

Karen MH — Sun, 20 May 2012 14:39:07 +0000

Since the earth’s pole change, would that explain why this super eclipse is/has happening/happened a month earlier e.g. Dec & May instead of Jan & Jun?

By: Alex Murdoch

Alex Murdoch — Sun, 20 May 2012 12:51:02 +0000

I don’t suppose the eclipse is going to be live broadcast on Google+? If anyone knows of a site doing this, could you please post it? Living on the East Coast of Canada, we’re not going to be able to see it.

By: Dotan Cohen

Dotan Cohen — Sun, 20 May 2012 07:33:11 +0000

Thanks, CR! In fact, the photographer Thierry Legault comments on that post and he mentions having photographed the moon with Earthshine during a solar eclipse.

By: CR

CR — Sun, 20 May 2012 07:06:37 +0000

Dotan Cohen @14 (and amphiox), it’s in the Related Posts links above, I think… “Record breaker: newest new Moon spotted!”