Lunar eclipse on Wed. Feb. 20 at 8:43 p.m. EST

The lunar eclipse, the first since August 28, 2007, will begin on Wed. Feb. 20 at 8:43 p.m. EST (5:43 p.m. PST, 3:43 am GMT on Thurs), with the moon being fully eclipsed from 10:01 p.m. until 10:51 p.m. EST (7:01 p.m. to 7:51 p.m. PST). It will be visible across most of the contiguous U.S.

After the total eclipse ends, the moon will continue to “grow,” returning to full moon status at 12:09 a.m. EST (9:09 p.m. PST).

While residents east of the Rockies will get to see the entire show, the moon will rise slightly eclipsed in the West. Alaska and Hawaii will not see the moon head into eclipse, as the moon won’t rise until midway through the show, but they will be party
to the conclusion.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the sun and the moon, blocking the sun’s light. The time it takes from when the first of the Earth`s shadow blocks the moon to when the moon becomes full again is about three hours.

The next lunar eclipse will be on August 16, and will not be visible in the U.S. Residents of the United States will have to wait a while for another lunar eclipse to grace our skies. The next eclipse visible in the U.S. is on June 26, 2010.

(Source: CSETI Forums)