# Lunar eclipse tonight **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 20, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850 "2010-12-20T17:17:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/1 "2010-12-20T17:17:50Z")
There will be a lunar eclipse tonight. Anybody who’s [in the area where the eclipse will be visible](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Visibility_Lunar_Eclipse_2010-12-21.png) and who’s likely to have a clear sky should go out and see it. I am not likely to have a clear sky for it, so I’m not planning to stay up ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/2 "2010-12-20T17:26:36Z")
I’m confused by the chart. I can’t see when Wisconsin will see the eclipse. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/3 "2010-12-20T17:31:40Z")
I think it will be visible (or invisible, as it were) here in Ottawa between 1 and 3 in the morning. It looks like we’ll have a perfect night for it it too. Alas, there’s no way I’m going to be up at that time. A la prochaine. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/4 "2010-12-20T17:32:58Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > I’m confused by the chart. I can’t see when Wisconsin will see the eclipse. From a Yahoo story about it: North and Central America should be able to view the entire show, which is expected to last 3 1/2 hours if skies are clear. Total eclipse begins at 11:41 p.m. PST Monday or 2:41 a.m. EST Tuesday. The totality phase — when the moon is entirely inside Earth’s shadow — will last a little over an hour. So it should start for you at 1:41 AM. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/5 "2010-12-20T17:43:00Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > From a Yahoo story about it: North and Central America should be able to view the entire show, which is expected to last 3 1/2 hours if skies are clear. Total eclipse begins at 11:41 p.m. PST Monday or 2:41 a.m. EST Tuesday. The totality phase — when the moon is entirely inside Earth’s shadow — will last a little over an hour. > > So it should start for you at 1:41 AM. Thanks I know I’ll be asleep at that time. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/6 "2010-12-20T18:30:03Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Thanks > I know I’ll be asleep at that time. Oh well. Me too. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/7 "2010-12-20T18:34:28Z")
We’re having a family eclipse party! I’m waking the kids and my husband up and we’re going to drag our lawn chairs and blankets outside. I’ll make hot chocolate. I’d serve Moon Pies, but nobody likes them. That’s if we don’t have a lot of cloud cover. I will be dead tired for work tomorrow, but that’s a small price to pay for an incredible astronomy lesson! ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/8 "2010-12-20T18:47:34Z")
Oooh…orange moon! It’ll be cloudy here tonight too, darnit. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/9 "2010-12-20T18:50:56Z")
> [@Ann\_Onimous](#): > > We’re having a family eclipse party! I’m waking the kids and my husband up and we’re going to drag our lawn chairs and blankets outside. I’ll make hot chocolate. I’d serve Moon Pies, but nobody likes them. That’s if we don’t have a lot of cloud cover. I will be dead tired for work tomorrow, but that’s a small price to pay for an incredible astronomy lesson! When I was growing up, my family had a policy that we were allowed to set up the tent in the backyard and sleep outside on lunar eclipses. They’re just frequent enough for it to be worth setting a policy, but rare enough that it’s not a big pain in the neck for the parents. It’s supposed to rain here, but if there’s enough of a break that we can see it, I’ll wake up my six-year-old to see it. ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/10 "2010-12-20T20:45:06Z")
I just set my alarm for 2:30! We’ll see if we make it out of bed… ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/11 "2010-12-20T20:54:49Z")
> [@BetsQ](#): > > I just set my alarm for 2:30! We’ll see if we make it out of bed… I hope so, since it’s 10.5 hours away. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/12 "2010-12-20T21:32:15Z")
I saw my first total lunar eclipse when we were living in Florida - we had our telescope ready and everything. If I happen to wake up, I’ll look outside, but I’m not setting the alarm. I need my beauty sleep! ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/13 "2010-12-20T21:44:35Z")
Sadly we miss the best part. Totality ends at 7.53 pm, and the moon doesn’t rise here until 8.04pm. ---
**Author:** ![Walmarticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Walmarticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walmarticus)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/14 "2010-12-20T22:24:46Z")
Is there supposed to be anything special about this one? What with the solstice and all. I think I might need a little convincing to go outside at 3 am. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/15 "2010-12-20T22:36:49Z")
> [@ENugent](#): > > I’ll wake up my six-year-old to see it. My two-year-old is currently obsessed with the moon, but I can’t quite bring myself to… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/16 "2010-12-20T22:49:48Z")
Bah, we’re supposed to get clouds/rain tonight. My kids have never seen one. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/17 "2010-12-20T23:40:39Z")
Already gave my 10- and 13-year-olds permission to be awake for this one: It’s not too often that a total lunar eclipse coincides with a school holiday, and I’m working 3pm-11pm shifts right now, so I won’t be too wiped out tomorrow. Wish I’d thought to buy some Moon Pies before work! ---
**Author:** ![pudytat72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@pudytat72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pudytat72)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/18 "2010-12-21T00:22:47Z")
> [@Walmarticus](#): > > Is there supposed to be anything special about this one? What with the solstice and all. I think I might need a little convincing to go outside at 3 am. According to the NASA website, it is the first time in 456 years that there has been a total lunar eclipse on the winter solstice. And they don’t know when it will happen again. (some other sites are saying this is the first time in 350 years) So, a once in many lifetimes event. I’m going to try to get some photos. I have a montage of the phases of the total solar eclipse I saw in 2009. I think it would be nice to have a matching montage of a total lunar eclipse. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/19 "2010-12-21T00:32:37Z")
Cloudy Here tonight. Pfoooeeyy. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850/20 "2010-12-21T00:37:28Z")
Unless it’s visible from underwater, we won’t be able to see it here in LA. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lunar-eclipse-tonight/564850.md?page=2)