Seminole Community College Planetarium

Press Release 051203

CONTACT: Laurent Pellerin
Operations & Production Manager
Seminole Community College Planetarium
100 Weldon Blvd
Sanford, Florida 32773
pelleril@...
407 328 2409


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE PARTY AT SCC PLANETARIUM ON Thursday, MAY 15TH AT
10:30 PM


The full moon on Thursday, May 15th will be passing right through the
Earth's shadow, creating a Total Lunar Eclipse for the Western
Hemisphere this week. Lunar eclipses are very different from solar
eclipses...for one thing you do not need to protect your eyes to see it.
And for another, they last longer, up to a couple of hours rather than
just a few minutes. They are also visible across the entire night side
of the Earth, not just in a narrow band like solar eclipses.

But the biggest difference is in the visual colors. Even though the
Moon might be deep in the Earth's shadow, sunlight from all of the
sunrises and sunsets on earth is bent by the Earth's atmosphere into the
Earth's shadow and lights the Moon in a broad ranges of beautiful
colors...reds, umbers, coppers, oranges, yellows, and occasionally that
rarest of lunar eclipse colors...green flashes.

The Seminole Community College Planetarium will be hosting its
traditional Eclipse Party, with the aid of the Central Florida
Astronomical Society, starting at 10:30 PM on Thursday, May 15th, and
lasting until the eclipse is over or everyone leaves. The party will be
held right in front of the SCC Planetarium on the Main Campus of
Seminole Community College. feel free to bring food and drinks, but
remember alcohol is not permitted on campus.

This event is free and open to the public and the press. So please
join us for this beautiful sight.



Laurent A. Pellerin, Jr.
Operations & Production Manager
Seminole Community College Planetarium
100 Weldon Blvd
Sanford, Florida 32773-6199
407 328 2409 (Office)
407 417 6176 (cell)
PelleriL@...
http://www.scc-fl.edu/planet/