Lunar Eclipse Event To Be Hosted By St. Pete College May 15

ST. PETERSBURG, FL —Florida residents will be treated to a striking celestial event during the late evening and early morning hours of May 15 and 16 – a total eclipse of the moon – and St. Petersburg College wants to help you see the phenomenon.

A total eclipse of the moon will begin at about 10:30 p.m. on May 15, as the full moon enters the umbra of the Earth’s shadow. Over the next hour, more and more of the moon will disappear, with totality beginning at 11:29 p.m. The moon will remain totally eclipsed until 12:54 a.m. the following morning when it begins to slowly emerge from the Earth’s shadow. The eclipse ends at 1:56 a.m. May 16.

This eclipse will be visible over a large geographical area, including the eastern half of the United States.

The eclipse can be easily viewed with the naked eye, binoculars or a small telescope. Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse can be observed in perfect safety without any special precautions. During the total eclipse, the moon will often have a striking orange or red color, caused by sunlight that is scattered and refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere. This same phenomenon sometimes causes the rising or setting sun to appear red.

As a service to the residents of Tampa Bay, telescopes will be available (weather permitting) between 10 p.m. and midnight outside the west wing of the Natural Science building on the St. Petersburg/Gibbs campus of St. Petersburg College. The Natural Science building is located on 69th Street at 5th Avenue North in St. Petersburg.

Ample parking is available in the lots adjacent to Natural Science.

Questions should be directed to Craig Joseph, planetarium director, at 727-341-4568 or joseph.craig@spcollege.edu.