Bright night for lunar eclipse

UPPER DELAWARE VALLEY — The light of the silvery moon diminished for a time on February 22 as the Earth passed in front of the sun and cast a shadow on the moon. While the view in many parts of the country was blocked by overcast skies, in our region the celestial spectacle was available to anyone who stepped outside between the hours of about 8:00 p.m. and midnight.

It was the last total lunar eclipse that will occur until December 20, 2010.

Coincidentally, the U.S. military shot a defunct spy satellite out of the sky earlier in the day, and debris from the explosion was seen by a group of about 30 amateur astronomers who were watching the eclipse from British Columbia, Canada. They said the burning debris left glowing trails in the sky.