February 2008 Total Lunar Eclipse
Posted by msterilinn on Feb 20, 2008
It is happening now! I was pretty busy today, so I almost missed the Total Lunar Eclipse… yet wanted to take a moment to remind folks that it is truly happening now. It is not visible from my house as of yet, in Oregon USA, but I am hopeful of viewing it as the moon appears within the next hour or so. Totality strikes at 10:00 p.m. Eastern and lasts for 52 minutes. The Moon exits Earth’s umbra, ending the partial phase, just after midnight (12:09 a.m. Eastern). Which means totality shall strike at 7:00 p.m. my time. I am so excited, and shall be outside the moment I get dinner done…
Enjoy!
For more information relating to Lunar and Solar eclipses, please feel free to visit my previous post… Solar and Lunar Eclipses in 2008
*Note -This is the third total lunar eclipse in less than a year, so if you’ve missed the other two, don’t neglect this one. Several partials are upcoming, but the next total eclipse of the Moon won’t take place until December 20–21, 2010.
Solar and Lunar Eclipses in 2008
Posted by msterilinn on Feb 6, 2008
Such events are wonderous to behold, and create a certain amount of awe and excitement for me. I know I am not alone in my thoughts on these most auspicious of occasions. I am referring to the Lunar and Solar eclipses, of course. I have touched upon this subject in the past, yet I shall endeavor to refresh the minds of those interested.
Eclipses come in two styles, solar and lunar, and each has its variants.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun, something that can only happen at new Moon. If the lunar disk completely hides the Sun, even for a moment, the eclipse is total. Those who live within, or travel to, the narrow path of totality see the Sun’s ruby-red gaseous prominences and ghostly white outer atmosphere momentarily revealed when the brilliant solar disk is fully covered. Outside the path, about half the world is able to watch a partial eclipse as the Moon obscures a portion of the Sun.
A lunar eclipse takes place when Earth’s shadow falls onto the Moon’s surface. The type of eclipse (partial or total) depends on how deep the full Moon plunges into the umbra, our planet’s dark, central shadow. If it goes all the way in, we see a total lunar eclipse that’s preceded and followed by partial phases. If the Moon skims the umbra, only the partial phases occur.
Occasionally the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun but doesn’t completely cover it. This odd-sounding situation is an annular eclipse, so-called because at mid-eclipse a ring, or annulus, of sunlight surrounds the lunar disk. Outside the zone of annularity, observers see a partial solar eclipse.
February 7: Annular Eclipse
The path of the first eclipse of 2008 traverses a frozen corner of Antarctica and the southern waters of the Pacific Ocean. While very few will see the two-minute-long annular phase, observers in New Zealand and southeastern Australia will be treated to a partial eclipse of the Sun during the afternoon of the 7th.
February 20–21: Total Lunar Eclipse
This event is the highlight of the year for those who can’t get to the solar eclipse on August 1st. The entire lunar eclipse will be visible across Europe and western Africa on the morning of the 21st, and throughout North and South America on the evening of the 20th. Look for the full Moon to begin sliding into the umbra at 8:43 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (5:43 p.m. Pacific, 1:43 a.m. UT). Totality strikes at 10:00 p.m. Eastern and lasts for 52 minutes. The Moon exits Earth’s umbra, ending the partial phase, just after midnight (12:09 a.m. Eastern).
*Note -This is the third total lunar eclipse in less than a year, so if you’ve missed the other two, don’t neglect this one. Several partials are upcoming, but the next total eclipse of the Moon won’t take place until December 20–21, 2010.
August 1: Total Solar Eclipse
The narrow path of totality of the first total eclipse of the Sun since March 2006 will sweep across northern Canada and the Arctic, through central Russia, and into Mongolia, ending in China. At mid-eclipse near Nadym in northern Russia, observers will experience 2 minutes 27 seconds of totality. Outside the centerline track, the partial phases of the eclipse will be visible across all of Asia (excluding Japan), central and eastern Europe, and northern Canada.
August 16: Partial Lunar Eclipse
A partial eclipse of the Moon ends the 2008 eclipse season. The lunar disk will pass through the northern half of the Earth’s umbral shadow, resulting in a partial phase that lasts 3 hours 9 minutes. This eclipse will be visible in its entirety to skygazers in Africa, Europe, and central Asia. Those in eastern South America, South-East Asia, and Australia will see the partially eclipsed full Moon either rise or set.
It’s been a while since North America experienced a total solar eclipse of the Sun. But take heart, not much longer to wait, because August 21, 2017 is the date.
Visit Sun and Earth NASA Home Page to learn more indepth details and view maps.
Enjoy!
Gardening by Moon Cycles.. Your Goddess Garden
Posted by msterilinn on Aug 13, 2007
The Ancients believed that a Witch received power from the Moon, which may be why many Pagan calendars stress the lunar cycles so much even today. For the Goddess Gardener, however, the Moon is also a symbol of the Lady herself. In literally hundreds of ancient settings, the Moon was characterized as Female, and Her names were many. They include Chia (Columbian), Hina (Polynesian), Luna (Roman), and Selene (Greek), to name just a few.
Beyond the potent symbolic value here, our ancestors felt that timing the planting, tending, or harvesting of one’s plants could be more effective if we followed Moonsigns and Moon Cycles. For example, when the Moon was dark, it was time to plant underground vegetables. When the Moon was waning it was time to plant peas or other items that vine counterclockwise. According to most really talented gardeners that I know from the old school, this type of reverence toward nature’s hints really works.
If you’d like to apply this concept in your own Goddess Gardens, here’s a list that will help you.
GARDENING BY MOONSIGNS
* Moon in Aries: Plant garlic and onions, but nothing that requires really fertile soil.
* Moon in Taurus: Plant potatoes, root crops, leafy vegetables, and bulb-bearing items.
* Moon in Gemini: Weed and cultivate or harvest root crops.
*Moon in Cancer: Graft, sow, transplant, and force budding.
*Moon in Leo: Focus on deterring bugs using natural treatments and companion planting. Harvest items.
*Moon in Virgo: It’s best not to do anything new in the garden at this time other than planting morning glory, honeysuckle, tulips, and endive.
*Moon in Libra: Plant above-ground flowers and vegetables.
*Moon in Scorpio: Plant vining greenery, berries, and grains.
*Moon in Sagittarius: Plant onions. Transplant and preserve your harvest.
* Moon in Capricorn: Plant root crops and tubers. Fertilize the soil.
* Moon in Aquarius: Cultivate, weed, and turn the soil.
* Moon in Pisces: Work with plants that require strong root growth, such as aspargus. Plant flowers.
GARDENING BY MOON CYCLES
FIRST QUARTER:
Plant annuals and vegetables that yield their fruit above ground (such as celery and lettuce). Green vegetables and herbs (such as cabbage and basil) seem to like this phase.
SECOND QUARTER:
Plant any “roundish” flora and vegetables (such as tomato and melon) and any flowering vines.
THIRD QUARTER:
Plant root crops and bulbs or anything that yields below ground (such as garlic). This Quarter is also good for fruit-bearing plants (such as strawberry and cherry).
FOURTH QUARTER:
Let the land rest. Weed your soil, and then turn and fertilize it.
Note that these two systems (gardening by moonsign and gardening by moon phases) can work together nicely. For example, if the moon happens to be in Aquarius at the same time it’s in the fourth quarter, this would double the effect of weeding and turning the soil. After the quarter passes, move forward with sowing knowing that the land is rejuvenated!
More Trivia on Planting by the Moon
Garden and Plant by the Moon Calendar
~ August 28th 2007 marks the next Lunar Eclipse! ~
Posted by msterilinn on Aug 7, 2007
I am truly excited to view this event, especially as this year it occurs just hours after my birthday!! Mark your calendars for August 28th 2007, as this marks the date of the next Lunar Eclipse. This event will be visible from the United States and Canada as well as South America, the Pacific Ocean, western Asia and Australia. During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon’s disk can take on a dramatically colorful appearance from bright orange to blood red to dark brown and (rarely) very dark gray.“Times and Phases of the Total Lunar Eclipse of August 28, 2007″
To many of us, Full Moon is the phase of love and romance. When the Moon is Full, it rises at sunset and is visible all night long. At the end of the night, the Full Moon sets just as the Sun rises. None of the Moon’s other phases have this unique characteristic. It happens because the Moon is directly opposite the Sun in the sky when the Moon is Full. Full Moon also has special significance with regard to eclipses.
An eclipse of the Moon (or lunar eclipse) can only occur at Full Moon, and only if the Moon passes through some portion of the Earth’s shadow. The shadow is actually composed of two cone-shaped components, one nested inside the other. The outer or penumbral shadow is a zone where the Earth blocks part but not all of the Sun’s rays from reaching the Moon. In contrast, the inner or umbral shadow is a region where the Earth blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the Moon.
The color and brightness of the totally eclipsed Moon can vary considerably from one eclipse to another. Dark eclipses are caused by volcanic gas and dust which filters and blocks much of the Sun’s light from reaching the Moon. But since no major volcanic eruptions have taken place recently, the Moon will probably take on a vivid red or orange color during the total phase.
The total phase of a lunar eclipse is called totality. At this time, the Moon is completely immersed within the Earth’s dark umbral shadow. During the August 28 eclipse totality will last 90 minutes.
Enjoy! 
“More information at the NASA Eclipse Home Page”
