Millikin University to host viewing of Total Lunar Eclipse January 20th

 

[January 18, 2019]   The Millikin University community and the public are invited to a special Public Observation Night (PON) at Requarth Observatory on Sunday, Jan. 20 for an opportunity to witness a rare total lunar eclipse which will be visible from 10:41 to 11:43 p.m. CST.

The Requarth Observatory will be open from 8:30 p.m. to 12 midnight on Jan. 20. The event is free and open to the public, and attendees are encouraged to dress warmly.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon moves behind and into the shadow of the Earth. Because the light from the sun passes through the Earth's atmosphere, the moon appears red during a total lunar eclipse, leading to the name "Blood Moon."

For observers in the United States, the eclipse will take place between the evening of Sunday, Jan. 20 and the early morning hours of Monday, Jan. 21. The eclipse will occur during a supermoon and it will also be the last total lunar eclipse until May 2021.

The Requarth Observatory is located on the roof of the Leighty-Tabor Science Center located just off Fairview Ave. on Millikin University's campus in Decatur, Ill. Guests can use the parking lot located in front of Kirkland Fine Arts Center.

For more information, email Justin Craig, Requarth Observatory assistant, at [e-mail] or contact Dr. Casey Watson, chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Millikin, at 217.424.6271 or email crwatson @millikin.edu. 

Spring Observation Nights

Millikin University will host Public Observation Nights each Thursday evening throughout the spring 2019 semester from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. (weather permitting). Public Observation Nights are free and open to the public.

Stargazing will take place on the roof of the Leighty-Tabor Science Center on Millikin's campus under the direction of student and faculty astronomers. PONs serve as a great way for Millikin physics and astronomy students to showcase some of their work and the facilities that they use and maintain for their research.

Housed on the fifth floor of the Leighty-Tabor Science Center, the Requarth Observatory was built along with the rest of the Leighty-Tabor Science Center in 2000. All three 300 lb. support sections that hold the 20" (.5 meter) telescope were carried up five flights of stairs by hand. Faculty and students are continually updating the observatory to meet their scientific needs and there are currently many plans to enhance the stargazing experience for faculty, students and visitors.

In addition to the main telescope, the Leighty-Tabor Science Center also features an observation deck on the fifth floor that surrounds the base of the dome. This observation deck provides a platform to set up the smaller 8" telescopes that are commonly used in introductory astronomy courses.

[Millikin University Media Relations]