While the winter and early parts of spring are not ideal times to see the sky in the PNW, residents have an abundance of astronomical events.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon enters Earth’s shadow and becomes illuminated by filtered sunlight passing through the planet's atmosphere. The light casts a warm glow on the moon's disk, causing it to temporarily appear orange or red.
The duration of a total eclipse varies depending on how long the moon is shaded by Earth’s central shadow, called the umbra. While the winter and early parts of spring are not ideal times to see the sky in the Pacific Northwest, western Washington residentsSeven planets are gracing the sky in what's known as a planetary parade, though some will be difficult to spot with the naked eye. These planetary hangouts happen when several planets appear to line up in the night sky at once. They're not in a straight line but are close together on one side of the sun. The astronomical linkup is fairly common and can happen at least every year depending on the number of planets. But to have all of them is special. A parade of four or five planets visible to the naked eye happens every few years, according to NASA. A similar parade took place last June, but only two planets could be seen without any special equipment. Six planets were visible in January — four to the naked eye — and now a dim Mercury joins the gang. This month, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter are visible to the naked eye as the planets align. A faint Saturn and Mercury are close to the horizon, making them hard to spot. Uranus and Neptune can be glimpsed with binoculars and telescopes. To get in on the sighting, go outside on a clear, cloudless night after sunset. The planets will shine brighter than the stars, and Mars will look like a reddish-orange dot. Stargazing apps may help with where to look.The night between March 13 and 14 will be a wonderful time to head outside and peer at a bloodshot full moon thanks to a lunar eclipse.When our planet is positioned precisely between the sun and the moon, Earth’s shadow will project onto the surface of the moon.Lunar eclipses last much longer than solar eclipses and can be seen by much larger portions of Earth. Lunar eclipses also always occur within about two weeks of a solar eclipse, and there is an upcoming partial solar eclipse on March 29.The vernal equinox arrives on March 20, marking the start of the spring season for the Northern Hemisphere. But what does that actually mean? Here’s what to know about how we split up the year using the Earth’s orbit.For most of the year, the Earth’s axis is tilted either toward or away from the sun. That means the sun’s warmth and light fall unequally on the northern and southern halves of the planet. During the equinox, the Earth’s axis and its orbit line up so that both hemispheres get an equal amount of sunlight. The word equinox comes from two Latin words meaning equal and night. That’s because on the equinox, day and night last almost the same amount of time — though one may get a few extra minutes, depending on where you are on the planet. The Northern Hemisphere’s spring — or vernal — equinox can land between March 19 and 21, depending on the year. Its fall – or autumnal — equinox can land between Sept. 21 and 24.The solstices mark the times during the year when the Earth is at its most extreme tilt toward or away from the sun. This means the hemispheres are getting very different amounts of sunlight — and days and nights are at their most unequal. During the Northern Hemisphere’s summer solstice, the upper half of the earth is tilted in toward the sun, creating the longest day and shortest night of the year. This solstice falls between June 20 and 22.Meanwhile, at the winter solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is leaning away from the sun — leading to the shortest day and longest night of the year. The winter solstice falls between December 20 and 23.What’s the difference between meteorological and astronomical seasons?Meteorological seasons are defined by the weather. They break down the year into three-month seasons based on annual temperature cycles. By that calendar, spring starts on March 1, summer on June 1, fall on Sept. 1 and winter on Dec. 1.A solar eclipse happens when the moon’s path crosses in between the Earth and the sun, blocking out the sun’s light.Unfortunately, this eclipse will not be visible to the majority of the U.S. — including the PNW.
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