1 00:00:00,010 --> 00:00:04,010 (Music) 2 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:20,130 For those that don't know, LRO is the 3 00:00:20,150 --> 00:00:24,160 Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. It's a NASA spacecraft that's been orbiting the moon since 4 00:00:24,180 --> 00:00:28,180 June of 2009. Taking take high resolution pictures of the surface, 5 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:32,190 measuring the precise topography of the lunar surface, thermo physicall 6 00:00:32,210 --> 00:00:36,220 properties of the surface, the radiation environment, the abundance of hydrogen 7 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:40,240 on the surface; basically creating a high-resolution 3D archive 8 00:00:40,260 --> 00:00:44,290 the properties of the surface of the moon. 9 00:00:44,310 --> 00:00:48,310 An eclipse 10 00:00:48,330 --> 00:00:52,350 is a unique event that happens few times every year. It's 11 00:00:52,370 --> 00:00:56,450 when the Earth the moon and the sun are in precise alignment. So during a lunar eclipse 12 00:00:56,470 --> 00:01:00,470 Earth passes between the moon and the sun and the Earth's shadow is cast upon the surface 13 00:01:00,490 --> 00:01:04,500 of the moon. So it looks like the moon disappears into darkness for 14 00:01:04,520 --> 00:01:08,540 a brief period of time. They're special because they only happen a few times every year 15 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:12,570 and you have to be in a very special location on the surface of the earth to be able to see it, 16 00:01:12,590 --> 00:01:16,580 so not everybody gets to see an eclipse when they happen. 17 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:20,590 (music) 18 00:01:20,610 --> 00:01:24,630 So on April 15, there's going to be a lunar eclipse, it's going to happen very 19 00:01:24,650 --> 00:01:28,670 early in the morning and it's going to be a total lunar eclipse, so the moon will pass 20 00:01:28,690 --> 00:01:32,680 completely into the shadow of the earth. And as it does that 21 00:01:32,700 --> 00:01:36,710 the moon will appear a certain hue of red which is the projection 22 00:01:36,730 --> 00:01:40,740 of all of the sunsets on the earth projected onto the surface of the moon. It's going to be 23 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:44,760 quite spectacular and very beautiful. What we see in this animation is a re-creation of 24 00:01:44,780 --> 00:01:48,780 LRO orbiting the moon during the upcoming eclipse. When the moon passes 25 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:52,820 into the Earth's umbra, or the Earth's shadow that's when it is completely 26 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:56,830 blocked from the sun, and we see the effective Earth's sunsets being projected onto 27 00:01:56,850 --> 00:02:00,850 lunar surface that's why it turns a hue of red. When the moon comes out of the 28 00:02:00,870 --> 00:02:04,890 Earth's umbra it begins to look, as we've always seen it, this beautiful, 29 00:02:04,910 --> 00:02:08,900 bright, grey orb in the sky. 30 00:02:08,920 --> 00:02:12,930 (music) 31 00:02:12,950 --> 00:02:16,940 So the eclipse is going to effect LRO in one very important way. LRO's 32 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:20,960 batteries are charged by solar energy, and so during the eclipse the moon and the 33 00:02:20,980 --> 00:02:24,990 LRO spacecraft are going to be in darkness for a very long period of time, so the battery won't get 34 00:02:25,010 --> 00:02:29,020 recharged. So we're going to be turning off all of the instruments on LRO so we don't 35 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:33,040 drain the battery. We'll be monitoring real-time. how the battery 36 00:02:33,060 --> 00:02:37,060 is doing during the eclipse but we won't be making any scientific observations during 37 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:41,100 this eclipse. When the spacecraft comes out of the eclipse the battery will slowly 38 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:45,120 charge back up again and then we can turn the instruments back on. 39 00:02:45,140 --> 00:02:49,150 (music) 40 00:02:49,170 --> 00:02:53,180 The best way to prepare for this eclipse is to first find out when it's going 41 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:57,220 to be happening in your local area, and then find an area that is 42 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:01,250 free of obstructions; tall trees, buildings, in an open field that has 43 00:03:01,270 --> 00:03:05,260 a clear view of the sky. Bring a chair, something warm to keep you 44 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:09,270 comfy during the night hours and prepare yourself for 45 00:03:09,290 --> 00:03:13,300 a beautiful show.