Committee for Skeptical Inquiry

[SkeptInq@aol.com]

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• From: SIKevinC@aol.com
• Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 16:51:08 EDT

After listening to all the blather about the 5/5/2000 non-event, here's a
scientifically accurate astronomical event to really get excited about.

For Immediate Release

NETWORK OF ASTROCAMERAS WILL BROADCAST SUNDAY'S TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE ACROSS
THE INTERNET

Vancouver, Canada, July 12, 2000 - On Sunday, July 16th, the longest lunar
eclipse in over a thousand years will be visible in the night sky.
Unfortunately, this historic astronomical event won't be visible to most of
North America and Europe. But if you can't watch it in person, you can watch
it live on the Internet.

A network of astronomers in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia have
teamed up to broadcast live images of Sunday's eclipse onto the Internet for
the benefit of the "geographically challenged", people living in areas on the
planet that won't be able to see the eclipse.

Starting on Sunday at 1157 GMT (4:57am PDT) the diverse team of professional
and amateur astronomers will begin transferring images and video streams of
the lunar eclipse to a network of websites hosting the event. The eclipse
coverage will wrap up at 1553 GMT (10:57am PDT) when the moon exits the
Earth's shadow. A link to each of the cameras as well as ongoing weather
monitoring of each station will be available at Universe Today -
http://www.universetoday.com.

Universe Today publisher, Fraser Cain explains why he coordinated the effort:
"I live in Vancouver, Canada, so I'll only see the end of the eclipse. I
contacted several of my Australian and New Zealand astronomy friends online
and asked them if they'd broadcast the eclipse so I could watch it through
the Internet."

Sunday's eclipse is very special, because the moon dives right through the
very center of the Earth's shadow - to within seconds of the theoretical
maximum duration. Totality - when the moon is completely dark - lasts for an
incredible 1 hour and 47 minutes. A total eclipse hasn't lasted this long
since 1859 and it will not again for over a thousand years!

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through the Earth's shadow, it
then changes color to anything from a deep red to a bright copper, depending
on the amount of haze in the atmosphere. The best way to see a lunar eclipse
is to stand away from streetlights and use a pair of binoculars. Unlike a
solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse is completely safe to watch with the naked eye
- no protective glasses needed.

Event sponsor Astronomy.com (http://www.astronomy.com) has organized a
contest for the eclipse coverage, where visitors can win a variety of
astronomy equipment, including telescopes, binoculars, and cameras. The
contest includes prizes by Astronomy Magazine, Meade Instruments, Hardin
Optical, Starsafaris, Berger Bros. Camera, American Science and Surplus,
Discovery Telescopes, Science Art Co., Surplus Shed, Observation Concepts,
Earth Treasures, Le Sueur Mfg., Optical Guidance Systems, Solarsense,
Spherical Concepts, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Starlight Xpress,
T-Quest Optical, Apogee CCD Cameras, ExploreSpace.com, Pocono Mountain
Optics, and Night and Day.

To watch the eclipse as it happens, or to see the images afterwards, visit
Universe Today at http://www.universetoday.com.

Contact:
    Universe Today
Fraser Cain
Publisher
604-685-0255
info@universetoday.com

Astronomy.com
Dan Koehler
Manager of Business Development and Partnerships
262-769-8776 x 460
dkoehler@astronomy.com



FACT SHEET
Eclipse Date: July 16, 2000
Partial eclipse begins: 11:57 GMT (04:57am PDT)
Total Eclipse Begins: 13:02 GMT (06:02am PDT)
Mid-Eclipse: 13:56 GMT (06:56am PDT)
Total Eclipse Ends: 14:49 GMT (07:49am PDT)
Partial Eclipse Ends: 15:54 GMT (08:54am PDT)

Eclipse Coverage on Universe Today:
http://www.universetoday.com/html/special/le0700.html

NASA Eclipse Resources, including images, maps, and photographs
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/extra/TLE2000Jul16.html

Complete List of Camera Operators
Australian Broadcasting Corporation - Sydney, Australia
Astronomical Society of Victoria - Melbourne, Australia
Astronomical Society of Flinders University - Adelaide, Australia
Calwell Lunar Observatory - Canberra, Australia
Auckland Observatory/Stardome - Auckland, New Zealand
City of Dunedin - Dunedin, New Zealand
AstroArts - Tokyo, Japan
Stargaze - Saitama, Japan
LIVE!ECLIPSE - Okinawa, Hokkaido, Alice Springs
the @stropages.com - San Diego, CA

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