Lake Afton observatory will be open for total lunar eclipse Oct. 8
Full moon. Total Eclipse. Four o’clock in the morning.
Bring the kids.
Totality, the astronomers call it – when a full moon goes darkest under the Earth’s shadow.
When it happens on Oct. 8, the people who run the Lake Afton Public Observatory plan to help anyone interested have a look.
The observatory will be open from 4 to 6:30 that morning, observatory officials said in a statement.
The event will begin as the moon enters the Earth’s partial shadow at 3:16 a.m. that day.
The more easily seen part of the eclipse begins about 4:15 a.m., when the moon glides into the darkest part of the umbra, the full Earth shadow.
The moon won’t go completely dark during totality, Lake Afton officials said.
Sunlight bends as it passes through the atmosphere and the moon might appear reddish, depending on how much dust and other particles might be floating above.
Reach Roy Wenzl at 316-268-6219 or rwenzl@wichitaeagle.com. Follow him on Twitter: @roywenzl.
This story was originally published September 30, 2014 at 9:34 AM with the headline "Lake Afton observatory will be open for total lunar eclipse Oct. 8."