There will be a total penumbral lunar eclipse on Jan. 31. The moon will pass entirely through the lighter part of the Earth's shadow without any of it being in the umbra or darkest portion. I don't know the exact time of the event. This is a somewhat rare event. I thought that this would be an excellent opportunity for you dialists to check the functioning of your sundials (moondials) and to test some of the theories that we discussed last week. (ie. Does the use of the EOT improve accuracy.)
The reason that this eclipse is particularly good for sundial readings is that the moon will be brighter during totality than a normal eclipse and should cast a more distinct shadow. Of course the sun/earth/moon alignment will be better than during a partial eclipse also. Does anybody know the times for this eclipse? John Carmichael
