Lunar eclipse could be overshadowed by ash cloud

The total lunar eclipse that takes place today should be able to be seen from Argentina, so long as the lingering presence of the ash cloud produced by Chile’s Puyehue volcano does not spoil the view. The eclipse will be able to be seen across most of the world, and if the ash cloud permits, Argentina will see the eclipse in its beginning span.

Tonight’s eclipse will last a total time of one hour and forty minutes, and when it becomes visible in Argentina, it will be rising toward the Atlantic Ocean and Europe, before setting over Eastern Asia and Australasia. The lunar eclipse is the first of two parts in 2011; the second will take place on December 10. The only area of the world that will not get a glimpse of the phenomenon is Central and North America.

The central total lunar eclipse is said to be relatively rare, being that the last one occurred in 2000, and the next one will not take place until July 17, 2018.

The eclipse begins at 5.24 pm (GMT) and ends at 11.00 pm (GMT), but it can be appreciated in entire splendor between 7.22 pm (GMT) until 9.02 pm (GMT) for the period of an hour and forty minutes.  In Argentina the best time to watch the eclipse is from 3.22 pm until 5.02 pm, however it will continue until 7 pm.

To get a better view of the phenomenon in Buenos Aires, the Planetarium (along Sarmiento street and Figueroa Alcorta avenue) has organized a special event from the parks that surround the building.

From 6 pm until 7 pm, it will be possible to watch the eclipse through a variety of telescopes, as long as weather conditions permit; rain and heavy cloud coverage has been predicted for the evening by local forecasters.

Different from a solar eclipse, the moon will not be darkened completely as it receives indirect sunlight, reflected from the Earth’s atmosphere, NASA informs.