There is yet another reason to stay out past midnight this August. Aside from the spectacle of the Perseids meteor shower this August 12 to 13, a lunar eclipse event is also scheduled to happen on August 28, past midnight. A lunar eclipse such as this happens twice a year, more regular than the Perseids meteor shower.

The eclipse will be seen from all around the world, except for Africa and Europe. If you want the best view, better pack your bags and get a trip to the Pacific which will have a full view of the spectacle. spectators are attracted by the phases of the moon from partial to total lunar eclipse and then back, all within a period of 6 hours. A total lunar eclipse will last about 50 minutes but the longest one was recorded at more than 1 hour; 1 hour, 47 minutes and 14 seconds to be exact, last May 31, 318. Likewise, the light streaks of the Perseids meteor shower may be flashy but the color of the lunar eclipse is very magnificent to look at against the sky. In fact, ancient tribes even worship lunar eclipses and consider them as a sign from their God.

A lunar eclipse is a celestial event that involves the perfect alignment of the sun and the moon, with the earth in the middle. The Earth blocks midway the path between the Sun and the Moon. The Moon will not be in total darkness, however, contrary to what is to be expected. Instead, the rays of the Sun will radiate on the surface of the Earth that will reflect a shadow on the surface of the moon of a color from golden copper, to orange umber, to dark violet, depending on the phase of the lunar eclipse. This dark tone of the color of the eclipse was instrumental for it to be associated with the legends of mythical monsters of history such as Dracula and especially the werewolf.

Its associations with fictional monsters or horror stories, however, do not stop the populace from admiring its magnificient transformation. The weird connotation that was associated with it is just a result of wild imagination of people who had no explanation then of the phenomena. The lunar event on August 28 is the second eclipse to happen within this year. The first lunar eclipse happened last March 4, 2007.

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Scientists and naturalists of the old times regarded celestial events as a seemingly random event and even incalculable. But when Galileo first proposed that the Earth is round instead of its previous belief of being flat, the world changed in an instant. As it turned out, astronomers were able to predict the phases of the moon, the movement of the Earth in space, and other celestial bodies such as comets and meteors. Everyone was interested in these events, but none captured their fascination or imagination more than the Perseid meteor shower.

A meteor shower is the collision between the Earth and the debris from space called cosmic debris. It is usually debris from collision of celestial objects or it can be chunks of matter from an orbiting comet. The Perseid meteor shower has its origin from the comet Swift-Tuttle that orbits the sun. They are sometimes called Perseids and this is because they appear to be coming from the constellation of Perseus.

Those who are romantic at heart, scientists and hobbyists anticipate the yearly Perseids meteor shower. This meteor shower happens every year during August and is most visible in the Northern Hemisphere. Incidentally, the night of August 12 is a New Moon, which means that the dark sky will treat spectators with a bright display of the meteor shower.

The Perseids will be entering the atmosphere at about 60 kilometers per second, the minimum speed required in a highway. Because of this, the shower display will be very visible. The debris are expected to vary from the size of a grain of sand to a small rock which disintegrates into light streaks as it enters the atmosphere that we call shooting stars, but sometimes, the debris are large enough for it to enter the atmosphere that we call meteorites.

The farther you are from a city, the better, since city pollution can decrease visibility. Also, drive away from the buildings and into a wide clear area to enjoy a wider view of the sky. When watching meteor showers, the best time to view them is during the pre-dawn hours. Binoculars and telescopes might be helpful in watching a meteor shower, but in August 12, as long as you have a 20/20 vision and enough patience to wait for the shower, you will actually see one especially on a clear sky. On the other hand, in the case of Perseids, a number of meteors can be seen every minute.

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