Stargazers invited to watch moon’s vanishing act at UTD

by PegNews wire

Guests are invited to watch the moon darken and change colors next week at a UT Dallas stargazer party scheduled to coincide with a total lunar eclipse.

Members of the Physics Department and Texas Astronomical Society will gather at dusk on Wednesday, Feb. 20, to start surveying the heavens with binoculars and telescopes.

The moon will enter the darkest part of the Earth’s shadow at 7:43 p.m. and will be totally eclipsed from 9:01 p.m. to 9:51 p.m. During a total eclipse, the lunar surface often takes on an eerie shade of red that is visible even to the unaided eye.

This event is open to all UT Dallas students, faculty, staff members and the general public. Visitors should park at the white or green blocks in Lot H and gather in the adjacent field near the sidewalk leading to the Founders North Building.

Guests are urged to check the weather, as the event will be canceled if skies are overly cloudy.

Astronomical Society members will be on hand to answer astronomy-related questions and will be setting up several telescopes to view the moon and other objects.

UT Dallas and the Texas Astronomical Society host star parties quarterly and general meetings every month, typically on the fourth Friday. Check the calendar link on the Texas Astronomical Society Web site for details.

Each meeting features a talk on astronomy topic and a Constellation of the Month presentation. The monthly meetings take place in Kusch Auditorium in the Founders North Building (FN 2.102) and are free and open to all.

Source: UTD