Hello, I’m a new contributor here to Blogtown and I thought I’d introduce myself. The Mercury has hired me as their special Astronomy correspondent. As you can imagine, this is more than a full-time job, so my hands are pretty full! The demands of an Astronomy & Eclipse columnist at a mid-sized arts weekly are such that it’s really more than one person can reasonably take on. Luckily, you are in professional and capable hands. I know what I’m doing! I didn’t spend eight post-grad years at Astronomy Journalism School for nothing.

SO, without any more ado, I am here to report that there will indeed be a lunar eclipse tonight! From 19:01 PST to 19:52 PST tonight, the earth will block out the sun. Or wait… Hang on. Lunar eclipse means that the sun blocks out the moon. Right? Yeah. So, the Earth’s rotation is such that the moon will… Okay. I know this. The moon will block out the Earth. I think. You actually might want to Google it.

At any rate, it will be darker than usual for about 45 minutes.

Thanks! I shall be back with more accurate, informative coverage in about 18 months, when we have another lunar eclipse! It has been a pleasure, Blogtown readers.