Ok, so it will be in prime time during the Red Sox game, but you can go look during the seventh inning stretch or something 
Lunar Eclipse Wednesday to Have Easy Viewing Hours
John Roach
for National Geographic News
October 21, 2004
Just in time for the Halloween season, the moon Wednesday will treat us to its most famous trick: changing from bright white to reddish as it passes deeply through Earth's shadow.
This will be the last total lunar eclipse until March 3, 2007, and the last eclipse that will be easily viewed throughout the entire continental U.S. until February 21, 2008.
"For North America, this particular eclipse I refer to as the prime-time eclipse," said Fred Espenak, an eclipse expert at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "It's ideally suited for casual observing."
This Wednesday's lunar eclipse will not only be particularly easy to see but also the last total lunar eclipse until March 2007.
The partial and total phases of the eclipse will be visible in the evening sky throughout most of the Americas. In the western third of the continental U.S., the moon will already be very faintly eclipsed when it rises. In Alaska the moon will already be fully eclipsed at moonrise.
Europe and Africa also get a view of this eclipse, but at a less convenient time: the early hours of Thursday morning.
A total eclipse of the moon occurs when the full moon passes through the inner portion of Earth's shadow, known as the umbra. The umbra blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the moon. The penumbra, or outer shadow, blocks some, but not all of the sun's light.
Not until the night of February 20, 2008, will the entire population of the continental U.S. be able to step outside and catch an eyeful of an eclipse before crawling into bed for the night.
In the U.S. the March 3, 2007, event will be visible from the eastern half of the nation while the August 28, 2007, eclipse is best viewed from the West during the wee hours of the morning, Espenak said.
Eclipse
Wednesday's eclipse gets underway in earnest at 9:14 p.m. eastern time, when the moon's eastern edge begins moving through the umbra, causing it to darken to a reddish hue.
"The change is dramatic," writes Alan MacRobert, a senior editor with Sky and Telescope magazine in an article on the event. "A dark dent forms in the moon's eastern side, and as the minutes tick by, the dent becomes a big, curved bite."
Totality, when the entire moon is inside the umbra, should begin at 10:23 p.m. ET and last an hour and 22 minutes until 11:45 pm ET. According to Espenak, this duration of totality is on the "long side of average."
By contrast, totality for the last widely visible eclipse in the U.S., on November 9, 2003, lasted only 24 minutes. The maximum totality duration possible is an hour and 47 minutes, which last occurred July 16, 2000.
After totality, a partial eclipse ensues as the moon slips out of the umbra. Excluding the faint, penumbral phases, the entire event lasts 3 hours and 40 minutes, with the partial eclipse ending at 12:5.4. am ET on Thursday.
Deep Eclipse
During a total lunar eclipse, the moon does not go completely dark. While the Earth stands between the sun and moon during totality, a certain amount of light is bent, or refracted, by Earth's atmosphere and illuminates the moon.
The atmosphere scatters most of the short wavelengths of light—blue, green, and yellow—out of the refracted light. Therefore, primarily the orange and red rays reach the moon, giving it the orange-reddish glow, according to scientists.
The more dust in the air from volcanic eruptions, forest fires, or pollution, the more scattering of the refracted light takes place and the less light reaches the moon.
According to Espenak, the atmosphere is currently relatively free of dust. Even though volcanic activity has recently occurred at Mount St. Helens in Washington State, "most of the activity so far is water vapor, which won't have much impact on the lunar eclipse or changing the coloration of it," he said.
However, Earth's umbral shadow is darker in the center than on the edge. On Wednesday night the moon will pass just north of the shadow's center, causing the southern portion to be darker than the northern edge.
Eclipse Observing
Unlike solar eclipses, a lunar eclipse is safe to look at with the naked eye—no special filters or glasses are required to block out harmful rays of light. Astronomers suggest looking at the moon through binoculars and telescopes to enhance the colors.
The only thing that is critical for viewing a lunar eclipse is a view unobstructed by tall buildings, trees, or mountains.
According to Espenak, North American observers will be treated to the fall and winter constellations during the eclipse. The moon will be in southern Aires, Pegasus will be to the west, and Taurus and Orion will be to the east.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1021_041021_lunar_eclipse.html#main
Lunar Eclipse Wednesday to Have Easy Viewing Hours
John Roach
for National Geographic News
October 21, 2004
Just in time for the Halloween season, the moon Wednesday will treat us to its most famous trick: changing from bright white to reddish as it passes deeply through Earth's shadow.
This will be the last total lunar eclipse until March 3, 2007, and the last eclipse that will be easily viewed throughout the entire continental U.S. until February 21, 2008.
"For North America, this particular eclipse I refer to as the prime-time eclipse," said Fred Espenak, an eclipse expert at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "It's ideally suited for casual observing."
This Wednesday's lunar eclipse will not only be particularly easy to see but also the last total lunar eclipse until March 2007.
The partial and total phases of the eclipse will be visible in the evening sky throughout most of the Americas. In the western third of the continental U.S., the moon will already be very faintly eclipsed when it rises. In Alaska the moon will already be fully eclipsed at moonrise.
Europe and Africa also get a view of this eclipse, but at a less convenient time: the early hours of Thursday morning.
A total eclipse of the moon occurs when the full moon passes through the inner portion of Earth's shadow, known as the umbra. The umbra blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the moon. The penumbra, or outer shadow, blocks some, but not all of the sun's light.
Not until the night of February 20, 2008, will the entire population of the continental U.S. be able to step outside and catch an eyeful of an eclipse before crawling into bed for the night.
In the U.S. the March 3, 2007, event will be visible from the eastern half of the nation while the August 28, 2007, eclipse is best viewed from the West during the wee hours of the morning, Espenak said.
Eclipse
Wednesday's eclipse gets underway in earnest at 9:14 p.m. eastern time, when the moon's eastern edge begins moving through the umbra, causing it to darken to a reddish hue.
"The change is dramatic," writes Alan MacRobert, a senior editor with Sky and Telescope magazine in an article on the event. "A dark dent forms in the moon's eastern side, and as the minutes tick by, the dent becomes a big, curved bite."
Totality, when the entire moon is inside the umbra, should begin at 10:23 p.m. ET and last an hour and 22 minutes until 11:45 pm ET. According to Espenak, this duration of totality is on the "long side of average."
By contrast, totality for the last widely visible eclipse in the U.S., on November 9, 2003, lasted only 24 minutes. The maximum totality duration possible is an hour and 47 minutes, which last occurred July 16, 2000.
After totality, a partial eclipse ensues as the moon slips out of the umbra. Excluding the faint, penumbral phases, the entire event lasts 3 hours and 40 minutes, with the partial eclipse ending at 12:5.4. am ET on Thursday.
Deep Eclipse
During a total lunar eclipse, the moon does not go completely dark. While the Earth stands between the sun and moon during totality, a certain amount of light is bent, or refracted, by Earth's atmosphere and illuminates the moon.
The atmosphere scatters most of the short wavelengths of light—blue, green, and yellow—out of the refracted light. Therefore, primarily the orange and red rays reach the moon, giving it the orange-reddish glow, according to scientists.
The more dust in the air from volcanic eruptions, forest fires, or pollution, the more scattering of the refracted light takes place and the less light reaches the moon.
According to Espenak, the atmosphere is currently relatively free of dust. Even though volcanic activity has recently occurred at Mount St. Helens in Washington State, "most of the activity so far is water vapor, which won't have much impact on the lunar eclipse or changing the coloration of it," he said.
However, Earth's umbral shadow is darker in the center than on the edge. On Wednesday night the moon will pass just north of the shadow's center, causing the southern portion to be darker than the northern edge.
Eclipse Observing
Unlike solar eclipses, a lunar eclipse is safe to look at with the naked eye—no special filters or glasses are required to block out harmful rays of light. Astronomers suggest looking at the moon through binoculars and telescopes to enhance the colors.
The only thing that is critical for viewing a lunar eclipse is a view unobstructed by tall buildings, trees, or mountains.
According to Espenak, North American observers will be treated to the fall and winter constellations during the eclipse. The moon will be in southern Aires, Pegasus will be to the west, and Taurus and Orion will be to the east.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1021_041021_lunar_eclipse.html#main
