UCF is giving students a chance to see the first lunar eclipse visible in Florida in over three years.
Volunteers from the UCF Robinson Observatory will provide several telescopes at Memory Mall on Tuesday morning from 2:30 to 5:00 a.m. as part of the “Knights Under the Stars” events.
“This is the kind of eclipse where the Moon passes through Earth’s shadow,” said Yan Fernandez, an associate professor of physics and astronomy and the director of the observatory on campus. “It’s the opposite of the solar eclipse, where parts of Earth pass through the Moon’s shadow.”
The phenomenon is known as tetrad, in which the moon is covered by the earth’s umbral shadow for four eclipses in a row. Rather than the moon being completely dark, the moon will glow red as it receives light from Earth’s circumference.
“So instead of the Moon turning totally black when it moves into our shadow, itwill turn red, since the other colors of light are absorbed by our atmosphere,” Fernandez said.
Along with the eclipse, Mars and Saturn will also be high enough in the night sky to be visible during the eclipse.
The cost of the event is free for everyone.
