Image provided by Fernbank Science Center

Editor’s note: Jim Dillon with the Fernbank Science Center contacted Decaturish to say that the Sunday evening viewing had been cancelled due to the cloudy weather …

Tonight’s eclipse viewing at Fernbank Science Center has been called on account of clouds – – our telescope simply can’t see through clouds!

As an alternative, suggest that people check out NASA’s live streaming video starting at 8 pm, here: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/eclipse/index.html

I think they have at least one camera on the west coast, so they’ll be able to see it.

Here is the previous story …

The Fernbank Science Center is hosting a viewing for this weekend’s full lunar eclipse, when the moon will move into the Earth’s shadow.

The Science Center’s observatory will be open to the public on Sunday, September 27, from 9 p.m. until 11:30 p.m if weather allows. Astronomers will be there with telescopes and answers to questions about the eclipse.

The Fernbank Science Center said in a press release that the lunar eclipse will be visible in Atlanta from 9:13 p.m. until 12:26 a.m. “with totality extending from 10:17 p.m. until 11:22 p.m.”

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The Fernbank explains in the release, “Earth’s shadow in space looks like a bull’s-eye target, with a dark center (the umbra) surrounded by a lighter ring (the penumbra). When the Moon is passing from the penumbra into the umbra, the eclipse is partial. Total eclipse occurs while the Moon moves through the umbra.”

Here is the schedule for the evening:

• Observatory opens: 9:00 p.m.
• Partial Eclipse begins: 9:13 p.m.
• Total Eclipse begins: 10:17 p.m.
• Mid-Eclipse: 10:50 p.m.
• Total Eclipse ends: 11:22 p.m.
• Observatory closes: 11:30 p.m.
• Partial Eclipse ends: 12:26 a.m.

The science center is encouraging attendees to check its website for weather updates on Sunday before heading to the observatory.