With your other hand, place a smaller ball, like a baseball, behind the basketball and watch the shadow that is cast from the basketball over the baseball. Close the drapes so the room is dimly lit. To explain the concepts to kids, Burress suggested, you can hold a basketball or soccer ball - to represent the Earth - in front of a light bulb, representing the sun. Tonight’s eclipse will be visible in North America, South America, Africa, Europe and parts of Asia. But the Greeks realized that when they saw the shadow of the Earth on the moon, that gave them hints about the shape of the Earth.” “When you see the shadow of your uncle, it looks like your uncle. “When you see the shadow of a tree, it looks like a tree,” Fraknoi said. More than 2,000 years ago, it provided evidence for ancient Greeks to believe the Earth was round, even though the telescope hadn’t been invented yet. The curved shadow of the Earth that creeps across the moon during lunar eclipses is key to humankind’s understanding of our planet. Binoculars will help make the moon look larger, and there are viewing events around the Bay Area on tonight, including at Chabot Space and Science Center, where experts with telescopes will be helping the public view the event between 7 p.m. Unlike a solar eclipse, which occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, people watching it don’t have to worry about damaging their eyes.

After that, it will be in partial eclipse until 9:27 p.m. The total eclipse will last 72 minutes, ending at 8:23 p.m. Because the moon’s orbit around Earth is elliptical, when it reaches the closest point to Earth each month, it appears about 14 percent larger than normal and up to 30 percent brighter. Lunar eclipse: How and where to see tonight’s rare ‘supermoon’ event – The Mercury News Close MenuĪ supermoon - a term used more by the media and general public than by astronomers - occurs when the moon is closest to the Earth in its monthly orbit, making it appear large in the night sky.

How to see the eclipse tonight