Rare New Year's Eve 'blue moon' to ring in 2010

[peaceandlove]

SPEAKING OF 'RING IN', THE HUGE RING AROUND THE MOON TONIGHT IS AWESOME!

It's been like a peep show, here for a while, then disappears, then comes back.



(Not an actual photograph of tonight's moon ring.)


Rare New Year's Eve 'blue moon' to ring in 2010

By ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer – Tue Dec 29, 7:03 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – Once in a blue moon there is one on New Year's Eve. Revelers ringing in 2010 will be treated to a so-called blue moon. According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. But don't expect it to be blue — the name has nothing to do with the color of our closest celestial neighbor.

A full moon occurred on Dec. 2. It will appear again on Thursday in time for the New Year's countdown.

"If you're in Times Square, you'll see the full moon right above you. It's going to be that brilliant," said Jack Horkheimer, director emeritus of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium and host of a weekly astronomy TV show.

Continues: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091230/..._sci_blue_moon




Jack Horkheimer Star Gazer Minute Dec. 28/09 -Jan. 3, 2010

"Mars Races Toward Earth For A Close Meeting And 'A New Year's Eve Howl-In' Reminder"

January 3rd and January 4th Mars will be the closest for 2010 AND 2011!!!

VIDEO (1:06): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qQBjfVKjfM




Jack Horkheimer Star Gazer Minute Dec. 21 -27, 2009

"Howl In The Blue Full Moon This New Year's Eve! And You May Win A Telescope!"

VIDEO (1:06): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHiUF...eature=related




Jack Horkheimer Star Gazer Minute Dec. 14 -20, 2009

"Next Monday Dec. 21st Is The Day Of The Winter Solstice... But What's It All About Anyway?"

VIDEO (1:06): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Fuzq8jh-4

[peaceandlove]

I missed posting about the partial eclipse occurring at the same time as the Blue Moon.

Blue Moon to Occur New Year's Eve

By Joe Rao
SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist
posted: 30 December 2009

Excerpt:

Eclipse for some

This week's full moon will also undergo a partial eclipse.

The moon will dip slightly into the Earth's umbra – the dark, hard-edged shadow – which will show black or dark brown on the moon's southern limb for just over an hour; this will be a pre-midnight New Year's Eve show for Europe, Africa and western Asia, while for central and eastern Asia, Indonesia and western and central Australia this will happen in the post-midnight hours of the first day of 2010. Maximum eclipse will come at 19:23 UT, when just 8.2-percent of the moon's diameter is within the umbra.

Unfortunately, most of North America (except for northern Alaska and northernmost Canada) is out of the zone of visibility for this eclipse.

The last time a blue moon coincided with New Year's Eve was in 1990. The next opportunity will come in 2028.

Complete Article: http://www.space.com/spacewatch/0912...n-eclipse.html

[Majorion]

The Blue Moon image is interesting, definitely deserves a HiRES link:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/...s005e15356.jpg