Posted at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, July 5, 2001

Moon in eclipse stages early morning

Advertiser Staff

A partial lunar eclipse was visible this morning for more than three hours, said Bishop Museum planetarium manager Michael Shanahan.

A partial lunar eclipse occurs when the shadow of the earth covers part of the moon, Shanahan said. When that happens, the sun, earth and moon need to be aligned just right, not too high or not too low, he said.

Today's partial eclipse started at about 2 a.m. and reached its intense point at about 3 a.m. It ended at about 5:40 a.m.

Early morning risers got a glimpse of the show in the southern sky.

Partial lunar eclipses occur every six months, but are only visible on the night side of the planet, Shanahan said. The next one is scheduled for Dec. 29-30, he said.