Moon over Santa Barbara

Daily Sound Photo: Janelle Holcombe

Skies cleared just enough to catch a glimpse of the total lunar eclipse last night. Members of the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit, a local astronomy club, set up telescopes at Shoreline Park and more than a hundred viewers participated in the viewing. The last total lunar eclipse visible from the United States took place on August 28, 2007, while the next opportunity to see a full eclipse of the moon won’t be until December 21, 2010. A total eclipse happens whenever the moon passes through the Earth’s shadow and when the sun, earth and moon are lined up almost exactly with Earth in the middle.