Showtime for the lunar eclipse

Video: Solstice lunar eclipse tonight

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   >>> tonight that hasn't happened since the year 1638 and it's going to capture attention of well over a billion people across the planet and it's the stuff of folklore throughout history. talking about a full lunar eclipse . it's happening at the peak of winter solstice . we have to go to bed early and watch it ourselves, because it's happening late at night . talking about something that hasn't happened in a long time. last full moon lunar eclipse on the solstice happened hundreds of years ago, some 400 years ago. you can bet celebrants will be going big, perhaps like this. freedom of religion .

   >> that, you see there, is a 30-minute wiccan ritual from a nativist church international. one wiccan high priestess says this is a unique coupling of the masculine energy of the sun with the feminine energy of the moon. now this icon, as i was watching this entire ritual here, chris, they circle around the symbol, which i haven't been able to figure out as of yet, when i know, i'll let you know. interesting in terms of what they're doing there. others to celebrate, portlanding maine, a meditation chanting, they have crystal sing bowls as well. i don't know what that is. also poetry. a dance ceremony in oregon, that tick kicks off 7:00 p.m . local. four hours before the eclipse begins. pretty simple. the sun, the earth , and the moon, they line up. we all know that. perfect line. this causes the earth to cast a huge shadow over the moon , causing it to look like this. bloody red. we've got a picture of that somewhere. here it is. this is what happens when the earth 's atmosphere does something from the light coming from the sun. it acts as a filter. it strips out light from the yellow light from the sun. now, basically only leaves red light hitting the moon. this what happens here, filters it out, and red light hits the moon, bounces back and that's what we see. that's the red light that makes it look so beautiful when watching, again, this lunar eclipse as a light bends there. also factored into this, chris, ash pushing into the atmosphere by volcanos. that can make the moon appear a little bit darker. you can get a sense of what all things will affect. no matter how you mark this first in, let's say, 400 years with kids with friends or, you know, a ritual like this or two, the start time is 1:33 a.m . eastern time . it ends at 5:01 a.m . should be fun.

   >> should be. just so happens i get up at 3:45 every morning. i wouldn't miss it. thank you so much.

   >> i want to bring in with more on the exciting lunar eclipse the director of the hayden planetarium . highly technical question to start off with, how cool is this?

   >> well, it's actually a little less cool than people are making it out to be. first of all, it's a long, drawn-out cosmic event. it takes hours. in the winter, wee hours of the morning i don't know how many people will stay awake in the cold, winter night to watch it.

   >> if you want to say it at its peak on the east coast , set your alarm for the maximum exposure?

   >> so 2:45, 3:00 in the morning. look up for the moon. and it might not even be there because it would have gone deeply into earth shadow as it's cast out into space. this in is what we're looking at, a total lunar eclipse . the moon in its orbit around the earth occasionally enters earth 's shadow and that will happen tonight. it's not as rare as everyone's making it out to be. happens every two or three years. there are two next year. so, what people are getting excited that it's happening on the solstice.

   >> yes.

   >> well --

   >> will it look different than it looked a couple years ago?

   >> no, it's just another day of the year. i could say, it's rare it would happen on my birthday and it would just as rare as it happening on the solstice. these are not rare phenomenon. what's good about a total lunar eclipse , anyone who can see the moon on earth will see the eclipse. un like solar eclipses there's a narrow band where action takes place, you to travel to it, usually in exotic places. we have a chance of a billion people to eyewitness the eclipse.

   >> don't knee a telescope.

   >> binoculars help. it's fun to look at the moon more close up than what your eyes can bring. it will be fun for those who don't mind the cold or don't mind losing sleep.

   >> or those who have a good view from the window. where are l. you be at 3:00?

   >> probably asleep.

   >> you've got to be kidding me.

   >> i like the moon when pie can see it rather than when i can't see it. a quick note about the light coming through earth 's atmosphere, an interesting point, when the moon is deep in the shadow, some light filters refracts around earth 's atmosphere and puts light into the shadow. so we can learn about the conditions of our atmosphere during the peak lunar eclipse , what hues the moon takes on, that's what happens to the sunlight which starts out white, filters through our atmosphere, reflects off the moon. so we can tell whether there's volcanic activities, how our pollution's coming, how clean our air is. that would be interesting to monitor.

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