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News Release
Contact: Tom Parisi, NIU Office of Public Affairs
(815) 753-3635
November 5, 2003
Stargazers can view lunar eclipse at NIU observatory
DeKalb, Ill.--The NIU observatory atop Davis Hall will be open to the public from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, for viewing of the lunar eclipse. Observatory visits are free.
The eclipse will be visible over all of North America, provided an absence of cloud cover.
"During a total lunar eclipse, such as this, the Earth is directly between the moon and the sun," observatory manager Andrew Morrison said. "A total eclipse will occur shortly after 7 p.m. and will last about a half hour. Since the moon rises at around 5:30 p.m., it will still be relatively low in the eastern sky."
The moon won't completely disappear during the eclipse. Sunlight diffusing through the Earth's atmosphere instead will cast the moon in a dull glow, greatly reducing its normal brightness. Lunar eclipses, which can only happen when the moon is full, occur as often as twice a year. The last one appeared in May of this year.
"I'd really like to encourage people to come to the observatory to see the eclipse," Morrison said. "But more importantly, I'd like to emphasize that the eclipse is something you can see and experience in your own backyard without any special equipment. Let's just hope that it's not a cloudy night."
The NIU Department of Physics operates the observatory, which is equipped with a high-powered Celestron 14-inch telescope, an 85-mm refracting telescope, binoculars and digital cameras.
Next week the observatory will return to its normal schedule. Visitors can gaze up at the heavens from 8 to 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Private viewings or group tours can be arranged by contacting Morrison at observatory@physics.niu.edu or by calling the physics department at (815) 753-1772. E-mail is preferred. For directions to Davis Hall, see http://www.physics.niu.edu/~observatory/.
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