HALE-BOPP, ECLIPSE TO SHARE SKY.Byline: Eric Leach Daily News Staff Writer Californians will have a unique chance Sunday evening to see Comet Hale-Bopp Comet Hale-Bopp (formally designated C/1995 O1) was probably the most widely observed comet of the twentieth century, and one of the brightest seen for many decades. and a near total lunar eclipse at the same time. Thousands of people are expected to gather for the occasion at the Griffith Observatory Griffith Observatory is located in Los Angeles, California, United States. Sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in L.A.'s Griffith Park, it commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the in Griffith Park Griffith Park is a large public park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains. It is situated in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers 4,210 acres (17 km²) of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America. . ``We expect an enormous crowd here,'' said astronomer John Mosley at the observatory. ``We have chartered 12 buses to ferry people up from the Greek Theater. We'll have a lot of telescopes. As long as the weather cooperates, it will be great.'' Astronomers said this will be the last chance in North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. to view such an eclipse before 2000, when a total lunar eclipse will occur on Jan. 20. Sunday's eclipse actually will begin before the moon rises, as seen from California. The sun will be a few degrees above the western horizon, so the sky still will be lit when the moon rises. The sun will set at 6:07 p.m. Around 6:30 p.m. people will begin to notice darkening dark·en v. dark·ened, dark·en·ing, dark·ens v.tr. 1. a. To make dark or darker. b. To give a darker hue to. 2. To fill with sadness; make gloomy. 3. of the moon's lower edge from the fuzzy outer part of Earth's shadow, observatory officials said. At 6:58 p.m. the moon will begin to enter the umbra, the dark inner part of Earth's shadow. The lower edge of the moon will progressively grow darker during the next 50 minutes, leaving just a sliver of the moon lighted during the near total eclipse. Mosley said the best time to see the comet Sunday will be when the eclipse is in its early stages. ``The charm of it is that you'll be able to see the comet on one side of the sky and the eclipse on the other - and at no extra charge Mars is right above the moon,'' he said. Anthony Cook, the astronomical observer at Griffith Observatory, said the dark shadow of the umbra at mid-eclipse will not be black, but will take on a dark, coppery cast - something like a glowing coal. ``Basically the light from all of the sunrises and sunsets occurring around the world will illuminate the moon during the peak of the eclipse,'' he said. Comet Hale-Bopp will be at its closest to Earth (123 million miles), only a few degrees above the northwest horizon. The comet will be easier to see several days after the full moon, when there is no moonlight to brighten the early evening sky. Binoculars or a small telescope A small telescope is generally considered to be a telescope with an aperture of less than approximately 1.0 to 1.5 meters. Small telescopes dominate astronomical research in the fields of asteroid and comet discovery and observation, variable star photometry, and supernova will enhance the view, but are not essential. The Griffith Observatory in Griffith Park in the Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills, an unofficial designation of part of the City of Los Angeles, California, are part of the eastern section of the low transverse range of the Santa Monica Mountains, which extends from the Los Feliz District and Hollywood, on the south side of the Valley, to will be open until 10 p.m. to view the eclipse, and telescopes for the public will be provided by the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Astronomical Society There are numerous groups devoted to promoting astronomy research and education. See, for example:
Information on the eclipse is posted at the Griffith Observatory's World Wide Web site at http://www.GriffithObs.org under Sky information. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: LUNAR ECLIPSE The lunar eclipse will start at around 7 p.m. Sunday when the moon is in the east, the glow of the setting sun is still in the sky and the comet can be seen in the northwest. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion