WEBVTT FILE

1
00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:04.010
(Music)

2
00:00:04.030 --> 00:00:08.040


3
00:00:08.060 --> 00:00:12.060


4
00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:16.100


5
00:00:16.120 --> 00:00:20.130
For those that don't know, LRO is the

6
00:00:20.150 --> 00:00:24.160
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. It's a NASA spacecraft that's been orbiting the moon since

7
00:00:24.180 --> 00:00:28.180
June of 2009. Taking take high resolution pictures of the surface,

8
00:00:28.200 --> 00:00:32.190
measuring the precise topography of the lunar surface, thermo physicall

9
00:00:32.210 --> 00:00:36.220
properties of the surface, the radiation environment, the abundance of hydrogen

10
00:00:36.240 --> 00:00:40.240
on the surface; basically creating a high-resolution 3D archive

11
00:00:40.260 --> 00:00:44.290
the properties of the surface of the moon.

12
00:00:44.310 --> 00:00:48.310
An eclipse

13
00:00:48.330 --> 00:00:52.350
is a unique event that happens few times every year. It's

14
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

15
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

16
00:01:00.490 --> 00:01:04.500
of the moon. So it looks like the moon disappears into darkness for

17
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

18
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,

19
00:01:12.590 --> 00:01:16.580
so not everybody gets to see an eclipse when they happen.

20
00:01:16.600 --> 00:01:20.590
(music)

21
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

22
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

23
00:01:28.690 --> 00:01:32.680
completely into the shadow of the earth. And as it does that

24
00:01:32.700 --> 00:01:36.710
the moon will appear a certain hue of red which is the projection

25
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

26
00:01:40.760 --> 00:01:44.760
quite spectacular and very beautiful. What we see in this animation is a re-creation of

27
00:01:44.780 --> 00:01:48.780
LRO orbiting the moon during the upcoming eclipse. When the moon passes

28
00:01:48.800 --> 00:01:52.820
into the Earth's umbra, or the Earth's shadow that's when it is completely

29
00:01:52.840 --> 00:01:56.830
blocked from the sun, and we see the effective Earth's sunsets being projected onto

30
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

31
00:02:00.870 --> 00:02:04.890
Earth's umbra it begins to look, as we've always seen it, this beautiful,

32
00:02:04.910 --> 00:02:08.900
bright, grey orb in the sky.

33
00:02:08.920 --> 00:02:12.930
(music)

34
00:02:12.950 --> 00:02:16.940
So the eclipse is going to effect LRO in one very important way. LRO's

35
00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:20.960
batteries are charged by solar energy, and so during the eclipse the moon and the

36
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

37
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

38
00:02:29.040 --> 00:02:33.040
drain the battery. We'll be monitoring real-time. how the battery

39
00:02:33.060 --> 00:02:37.060
is doing during the eclipse but we won't be making any scientific observations during

40
00:02:37.080 --> 00:02:41.100
this eclipse. When the spacecraft comes out of the eclipse the battery will slowly

41
00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:45.120
charge back up again and then we can turn the instruments back on.

42
00:02:45.140 --> 00:02:49.150
(music)

43
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

44
00:02:53.200 --> 00:02:57.220
to be happening in your local area, and then find an area that is

45
00:02:57.240 --> 00:03:01.250
free of obstructions; tall trees, buildings, in an open field that has

46
00:03:01.270 --> 00:03:05.260
a clear view of the sky. Bring a chair, something warm to keep you

47
00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:09.270
comfy during the night hours and prepare yourself for

48
00:03:09.290 --> 00:03:13.300
a beautiful show.

49
00:03:13.320 --> 00:03:17.350
(beeping)

50
00:03:17.370 --> 00:03:21.348