Partial lunar eclipse visible in western skies

[June 28, 2010]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Skygazers got a treat Saturday when a portion of the moon crossed into the Earth's shadow during a partial lunar eclipse visible in the western United States and Canada, the Pacific and eastern Asia.

NASA says that the eclipse occurred in the pre-dawn hours on the West Coast. It began at 3:17 a.m. PDT and ended about three hours later.

During a lunar eclipse, the Earth blocks out some of the sun's rays that would normally reach the moon. Slightly more than half of the moon's surface was shaded at the eclipse's peak, according to NASA's website.

Saturday's partial eclipse was a preview to the total lunar eclipse in December that will be visible throughout North America.

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Online:

NASA eclipse page: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/

[Associated Press]

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