Total Eclipse of the Heart Moon

Spring training is just getting underway, but something will happen Saturday for the first time since the Red Sox clinched their first World Series win in 86 years. Saturday night the stars will be in alignment. Or, rather, the Sun, Earth, and the Moon will be in alignment for a total lunar eclipse – which only happens during a full moon.

It's been a while since eighth grade science and words like penumbral and umbra radius confuse us. To make shadows and sense of the whole thing The Museum of Science is offering up Destination Moon to remind us what is going on in the sky and why the moon is glowing a faint orange color instead of the usual bright white. At 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, 3:30 pm, and 4:30 pm in the Charles Hayden Planetarium and Science Theatre at the Museum of Science the multimedia presentation will give geological history of the moon (moon rocks!?!) and information what will actually be happening as the earth's shadow covers the moon. (Laser Floyd isn't until 10:30 pm)

If you're just looking for a quick fix of lunar eclipse goodness train your eyes to the sky. Noreen Grice from the Museum of Science gave us some tips on how best to view the eclipse on Saturday night: face East if possible – Revere Beach, hills facing East, and Mem Drive near MIT facing the Zakim Bridge, if you're lucky look towards the Museum of Science as you pull into the Charles/MGH stop and you might get a good luck. The moon rises in the early evening, before it's real dark out. According to Grice "the moon will rise from Boston at about 5:30 pm EST, already bathed in the Earth's shadow. It moves completely within Earth's shadow at 5:44 pm and remains there until 6:58 pm EST. The moon emerges from Earth's shadow by 8:12 pm."

Image of the moon is from NASA and is close to what you might see in the Saturday sky.