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CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP) -- Utah stargazers could get a rare sight on June 26 -- a partial lunar eclipse.
Scientist Patrick Wiggins says the view in the early morning hours on Saturday will depend on the weather. But if it's clear, people willing to get up by 4 a.m. will be able to see the moon passing through the earth's shadow.
Wiggins, NASA's solar system ambassador to Utah, said the best place to view the partial eclipse will be anyplace with a low western horizon.
Wiggins says this will be the first lunar eclipse visible in Utah since 2008. It will be visible to most of the Americas, the Pacific and eastern Asia throughout the night.
According to a NASA study, the eclipse will not be visible in New England and eastern Canada because it begins after the moon has already set in those regions.
Lunar eclipses only occur during a full moon. During a partial eclipse, a portion of the moon passes through the earth's inner shadow, called the umbra. The eclipse will be visible in Utah beginning around 4:17 a.m. and the maximum eclipse will be around 5:38 a.m.
Wiggins said the visibility in Utah will depend on the mountains to the viewers' west and southwest. Unlike many astronomical events, light pollution does not have any effect on the visibility of the eclipse and viewers won't need any special equipment to see it.
Wiggins said the biggest concern for obstruction of vision is clouds.
Lunar eclipses are not harmful to look at.
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Information from: The Spectrum
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
