Eclipse and Comet Visible Tonight in Mississauga and Beyond
Published February 10, 2017 at 7:25 pm
If you’re interested in getting a rare view, make sure to watch the skies tonight.
In addition to a full moon (labelled the Full Snow Moon), Farmer’s Almanac reports that the night of Friday, February 10 will bring about a penumbral lunar eclipse and the close approach of a comet.
According to a recent article from EarthSky, a penumbral lunar eclipse is described as a more subtle and harder to observe type of eclipse where the moon will appear darker than usual.
The eclipse will begin around 5:34 p.m. and end at 9:53 p.m., with its most notable appearance at about 7:44 p.m.
A few hours after, a comet labelled “Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková” will fly by close to Earth — the closest a comet has come since 1983. To catch a view of the bright blue-green comet, grab a pair of binoculars and look to the east around 3 a.m. Saturday morning.
So if you’re interested in everything the night sky has to offer, don’t go to bed early tonight!