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Two eclipses will be visible locally in October

Lunar scheduled for Oct. 8, solar for Oct. 23

The Columbian
Published:

Two October eclipses will give local sky-watchers a reason to get up early in the morning, as well as something to enjoy during an afternoon coffee break.

A total lunar eclipse on Wednesday, Oct. 8, and a partial solar eclipse on Oct. 23 will be visible in the Portland-Vancouver area, science educator Jim Todd said.

The lunar eclipse will begin at 2:14 a.m. Oct. 8 when the Earth’s shadow takes a small bite out of the left edge of the moon, said Todd, director of space science education at Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

The partial eclipse ends and totality begins at 3:27 a.m.; the point of the greatest eclipse occurs at 3:55 a.m. The eclipse’s total phase will last for 58 minutes. For almost an hour, the only light hitting the moon will be the reddish glow from all of Earth’s sunrises and sunsets. The total lunar eclipse ends at 4:25 a.m. and the partial eclipse ends at 5:32 a.m.

Fifteen days later, on the afternoon of Oct. 23, the new moon will pass in front of the sun. The solar eclipse begins in the Portland-Vancouver at 1:37 p.m. when the moon makes first contact with the sun. The maximum eclipse is at 3:02 p.m., when the moon covers 61 percent of the sun’s diameter. The partial eclipse will end at 4:23 p.m.

Do not view any of the solar eclipse without eye protection, Todd warned. Even during a partial eclipse, the sun shines brightly enough to damage your eyes if you are watching without a protective filter.

OMSI and Rose City Astronomers Club will host a viewing party in Portland for the Oct. 23 partial solar eclipse at the south parking lot of OMSI, 1945 S.E. Water Ave. The free event will begin at 1:30 p.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. Filtered solar telescopes will be available for safe viewing of the sun.

The last partial solar eclipse in this area was on May 20, 2012. After the Oct. 23 partial eclipse, there will be a total solar eclipse visible here on Aug. 21, 2017.

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