Some general observations about the Diary

    The Astronomical Diary for 2006 (giving times of equinoxes, solstices, eclipses, lunar phases, and beginning/ending dates of Eastern Daylight Savings Time) is tabulated here.  It reports these in the time format most useful to Maine, i.e. all times are given in Eastern Time (Standard or Daylight Savings, as appropriate).  Some almanacs and calendars are casual about this time change, and/or give the data in Universal Time (Greenwich Mean Time).

   The lunar and solar events given do not depend on one's location on Earth. Therefore the times are the moments (in Eastern Time) when they precisely occur.  However, sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset do depend on location.  Link to the U.S. Naval Observatory's Astronomical Applications: Data Online page to calculate these at need.

   As you are sure to notice, there are two First Quarter moons in August.  There is no special name for this happenstance, but it is interesting to note, nonetheless.   The Moon's synodic period of revolution around the Earth, known as a lunation, is approximately 29.5 days.  August begins with a First Quarter Moon on the 2nd, so two just happen to both squeeze into that month.  

  And if you appreciate synchronicities, there is a New Moon within hours of the beginning of fall, 2006 (Autumnal Equinox) and also before the Winter Solstice, a coincidence of the two cycles, lunar and solar.

  There are usually two periods a year (called "eclipse seasons") when the alignment of Sun, Earth and Moon allow lunar and solar eclipses.  This year they occur in mid- to late March and mid-September.  Some years we are lucky and many occur.  For example in 1998 there were 2 solar eclipses and 3 lunar.  In 2000 there were 4 solar eclipses and 2 lunar. 

  There isn't a cosmic law favoring the view of eclipses in Maine, nor even for the Northern Hemisphere.  In fact this happens to be a lousy year to see eclipses from Maine!

  No solar eclipses are visible in Maine in 2006.  The only one the Cosmos offers us this year,i on the evening of March 14 -- a wimpy penumbral (off-axis) lunar eclipse, where the Moon does not fall fully into the dark part of the Earth's shadow.  It will barely dim the Moon.  The show, what little there is of it -- starts just before the listed time of Full Moon, since Lunar eclipses by their very nature must occur at the time of Full Moon.  Don't say I didn't warn you:  the shadow effect will only be barely discernible in this eclipse.

   To make up for it, most of the totality during two lunar eclipses will be visible from here in March and August 2007.