It beings on February 7th with an annular solar eclipse. Then on February 20 a 'total lunar eclipse'. But first---The annular eclipse of the Sun will begin at 8:20 PST and would end at 9:31 PST.
An annular eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are exactly in line, but the apparent size of the Moon is smaller than that of the Sun. Hence the Sun appears as a very bright ring, or annulus, surrounding the outline of the Moon.
Because this is an "annular" event, I do not expect the full strength of earth changing events to occur. But this does not negate a noticeable spike in earthquake and volcanic activity should be noticed.
The annular eclipse of the Sun would be visible from a wide track that traverses Antarctica and southern regions of the Pacific Ocean, which includes southeastern Australia, all of New Zealand and most of Antarctica.
Solar Eclipse Map - CLICK HERE
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A Total Eclipse of the Moon |
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A total eclipse of the Moon occurs during the night of Wednesday, February 20/21, 2008. The entire event is visible from South America and most of North America (on Feb. 20) as well as Western Europe, Africa, and western Asia (on Feb. 21).
During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon's disk can take on a dramatically colorful appearance from bright orange to blood red to dark brown and (rarely) very dark gray.
**Regarding this event; I would suggest it lends itself to produce moderate to severe earth changing events --- especially earthquakes.
An eclipse of the Moon can only take place at Full Moon, and only if the Moon passes through some portion of Earth's shadow. The shadow is actually composed of two cone-shaped parts, one nested inside the other. The outer shadow or penumbra is a zone where Earth blocks some (but not all) of the Sun's rays. In contrast, the inner shadow or umbra is a region where Earth blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the Moon.
If only part of the Moon passes through the umbra, a partial eclipse is seen. However, if the entire Moon passes through the umbral shadow, then a total eclipse of the Moon occurs. For more information on how, what, why, where and when of lunar eclipses, see the special web page lunar eclipses for beginners.
Track EST Map - CLICK HERE
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Track CST Map - CLICK HERE
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Track PST Map - CLICK HERE
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Track Global Map - CLICK HERE
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