Not plane, nor bird, nor even frog, it’s just a little old lunar eclipse tonight right around 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Unusually for a lunar eclipse, it will be visible pretty much everywhere in North America and in Europe, too. This marks the third total lunar eclipse in less than twelve months, but there won’t be another one visible in North America until December, 2010. That one will coincide with the Winter Solstice.
Meanwhile, if you were all keyed up about the satellite shoot-down that was also supposed to happen around 10:30 this evening, you’ll probably have to content yourself with just the eclipse. An updated announcement from the Navy this morning said that bad weather will probably scrub any chance of firing the missile this evening. This CNN story has more details; for example, the launch window for actually hitting the missile only lasts for 10 seconds, and the missile has to hit the fuel tank of the satellite dead-on for it to accomplish the stated objective of the mission, which was to prevent the toxic fuel from reaching the ground. The satellite itself generates no heat, so the missile’s heat-seeking capabilities can’t be used to target the missile, making the likelihood of an accurate hit all the less likely. And the price tag for all of this: a cool $60 million.
If you’re outside braving the cold to see the lunar eclipse, you might be able to see the satellite, according to this Sky & Telescope article. The explosion, when and if it occurs, will probably only be visible in the immediate range of the missile launch, somewhere out in the North Pacific.
