W-b Twp. Officials Clash Over Budget Cuts

Anthony Gorka 
Dec. 5, 1992 
Anthony Gorka, 69, Of Harveys Lake, Died Saturday Morning In Nesbitt Memorial 
Hospital, Kingston.

Monday, December 07, 1992 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1B QUICK WORDS: LUNAR ECLIPSE 





TIMES LEADER/LEWIS GEYER &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 WITH AN EYE TO THE SKY -- &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Astronomer Walter Bennett stands by the new telescope at Penn State's
Lehman campus. Weather permitting, it will be used for a eclipse viewingTHE
LUNAR ECLIPSE &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The first total lunar eclipse visible in the area in over five years should
appear Wednesday &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By KIM STROSNIDER &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Times Leader Staff Writer &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On the commute home or enroute to Christmas shopping, look heavenward
Wednesday. Barring cloud cover, you'll be party to an event that struck fear
into the hearts of our ancestors: a total lunar eclipse. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Scientists say it could be an odd eclipse, mainly because of volcanic
eruptions last year on Earth. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Starting at about 5 p.m., the full moon will be slowly nibbled away by the
Earth's shadow. It may turn reddish or disappear altogether for about an hour
and 15 minutes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Then, the moon will reemerge from the planet's dark cast, a shiny sliver
that becomes full again by about 8:30 p.m. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Viewing with telescopes, binoculars and the naked eye is perfectly safe,
say astronomers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Earth is always casting shadows into space. But only occasionally does
the full moon pass completely within that shadow -- a total eclipse. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It is a rather awesome sight," says William Drumin, who teaches astronomy
at King's College in Wilkes-Barre. "I guess in the ancient times, they thought
it was the end of the world." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mike Benyo, an amateur astronomer in the Hazleton area, says: "I've seen
other lunar eclipses, but they're saying this one's supposed to be one of the
best because of the darkness of the moon because of the volcanic ash" in the
Earth's atmosphere. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That ash lingers from the 1991 explosions of Mt. Pinatubo in the
Phillipines, Mt. Hudson in Chile and Mt. Spurr in Alaska, according to Sky &amp;
Telescope magazine. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The magazine is inviting amateur astronomers to send in reports of this
week's event, marking their envelopes with the phrase "Strange Eclipses." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The last time Northeast Pennsylvanians saw the moon completely blotted by
the Earth's shadow was February of 1986, according to Tom Cupillari, director
of the Keystone Junior College Observatory in Lackawanna County. (There was a
partial lunar eclipse in June.) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While the Junior College's observatory is temporarily closed, the eclipse
is being marked in Luzerne County by several free public viewings. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Those who climb the 26 winding steps to the platform of Penn State's
observatory in Lehman and brave the cold can peer through the campus's new
14-inch telescope, installed just recently. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Near Hazleton, members of the Greater Hazleton Astronomical Society will
have their telescopes and binoculars trained skyward in a public park close to
the Laurel Mall. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Walter Bennett, who teaches astronomy at Penn State, suggests looking at
the eclipse about every hour or so, to watch it progress. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's interesting because it's very easy to observe," Bennett says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But he cautions people not to flock to the observatory if the weather is
foul; that would nix the viewing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Here's what will be apparent with clear skies: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The first phase of the eclipse, a partial phase, will begin at 4:59 p.m.,
after the sun sets and the moon begins to rise. The moon will enter the umbra,
the darkest part of the Earth's shadow. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By 6:07 p.m., the moon will be in total eclipse, completely obscured by the
umbra. It may appear reddish or be darkened to invisibility in the night sky. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It will reemerge from the umbra at 7:22 p.m. -- the second partial phase --
gradually regaining its fullness by 8:29 p.m. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Exact times, Cupillari notes, will vary with viewer's exact longitude and
the horizon. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Easterners are expected to have the best view. Those on the West Coast will
see only the end of the eclipse. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bennett, who jets back and forth from the Mt. Wilson observatory in
California, where he is superintendent, says no one's sure exactly what this
eclipse will look like. But he says the eclipse may be eerie. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Often, the moon appears reddish during lunar eclipses. That's because the
Earth's atmosphere, which bends sunlight toward the moon, absorbs other colors
in sunlight more so than it does red. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 However, volcanic ash in the Earth's atmosphere could make the moon appear
dark red or even render it so dark as to be invisible. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The total lunar eclipse on December 9th could be bizarre," warns the
December issue of Sky &amp; Telescope. "Sometimes, a totally eclipsed moon glows
bright orange, at other times, deep red, but astronomers are betting that the
volcanic murk will render this eclipse almost black." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 NASA astrophysicist Bradley E. Schaefer writes in the magazine that Muslims
used to associate lunar eclipses with the Day of Judgment. Ancient Mayans
feared the eclipsed moon was being eaten by a giant jaguar that would come to
Earth and eat them, too. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lunar eclipses are often eclipsed themselves by the popularity of solar
eclipses, which are seen by fewer people but are more valuable to scientists.
Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are visible over a much wider swath of
the Earth and can be seen fairly regularly. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So if you miss this total lunar eclipse, don't fret. Just mark your
calendar for Nov. 28, 1993.

Times Leader/lewis Geyer 
With An Eye To The Sky -- 
Astronomer Walter Bennett Stands By The New Telescope At Penn State's Lehman 
Campus. Weather Permitting, It Will Be Used For A Eclipse Viewing.

Times Leader/lewis Geyer With An Eye To The Sky -- Astronomer Walter Bennett Stands By The New Telescope At Penn State's Lehman Campus. Weather Permitting, It Will Be Used For A Eclipse Viewing.