photo credit: Luc Viatour / www.Lucnix.be
Next week, Wilton will join much of the east coast in being able to view a lunar eclipse. Michael Hossler, the science instructional leader at Cider Mill School, sent out an email to parents letting them know the most optimal time to view the phenomenon.
“On the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 8, the lunar eclipse will be visible from Wilton, CT and the east coast. We will be able to see the first half of the eclipse before the moon sets over the western horizon. The farther west you live, the more of the eclipse you can see. Residents of the Midwest will see the eclipse reach totality and partially re-emerge before the moon sets. West coasters will be able to view the entire eclipse and re-emergence,” he explains.
The eclipse will begin at 5:15 a.m. EST. While the total eclipse is supposed to last from 6:25-7:24 a.m., and end completely at 8:34 a.m., the moon will set at 7:03 a.m., too soon for CT residents to view the entire sequence. According to Hossler’s email, the east coast will see the moon in total eclipse as it sets. The sun rises at 6:58 that morning.
Cider Mill students learn about the movement of the sun, earth, and moon during a science unit taught in fourth grade. An eclipse happens when the sun, the earth, and the moon are perfectly aligned.
According to the email, “The eclipse is caused by the shadow of the earth moving across the surface of the moon. During an eclipse, the moon usually turns a shade of red as sunlight is bent through the earth’s atmosphere before it reaches the moon.”
If you’re able to capture any pictures of the event over Wilton, send them along to share with GOOD Morning Wilton readers via our email address, editor@goodmorningwilton.com.