Tonight is a total lunar eclipse. We're NASA planetary scientists. Ask us anything!

How would you best describe a total eclipse of the heart?

Love is like a shadow on me all of the time. -BC

Can you use your super secret weather machines to eliminate the cloud cover over Charlotte, NC tonight so we can observe the eclipse?

Thanks in advance.

Big fan of that space stuff, btw.

When I'm able to control the weather I'll let you know. Or not. Muah ha ha. -BC

What are your thoughts on the discovery of water on Saturn's moon? What are the chances of other life forms existing in those conditions? Can it be habitable?

That's pretty awesome. We now think there may be liquid water oceans on Enceladus (Saturn), Europa (Jupiter), and Ceres (main-belt asteroid). Since we know that life on Earth depends on liquid water, these all may be good places to look for life. But also, life depends on many other factors, that we need to explore more on these bodies - like a source of energy, carbon molecules, etc. -BC

So, because it has liquid water, would there be any way to... teraform.... it for human life? Could it be habitable at some point?

My personal opinion? Anything can be "terraformed" with enough energy. But that's the trade - enough energy may be enormous and not practical. Plus, you need other gases besides water and oxygen for all life forms (not just humans, but also plants and microbes). -BC

Renee, do you play Kerbal Space Program

I don't know what that is, but I will be googling it later :) -RCW

If the moon was made of spare ribs, would ya eat it?

probably, I'd be pretty hungry by the time I got there -RCW

I apologize in advance for the length of this post, please hear me out, I'm an aspiring planetary scientist and I've been looking for a place to ask a lot of the questions I've put here relating to your careers. It's long but it would mean the world to me if you answered even one of my questions.

The forecast where I am is terrible tonight so I won't be able to see the Blood Moon unfortunately. I'll still go out in the rain hoping for even a split second break in the clouds to see it. I was going to take pictures through my telescope but that's not happening because of the rain. ANYWAY, is there a website I can go to to see a live feed of the event? I want to witness it somehow.

I have another question, it's not related to the Blood Moon so I hope that's alright with you guys. I want to be a planetary scientist one day. I'm a freshman in college and I've been trying to find a career that suits my interests for years and I think I've finally done it. My goals are to work at NASA and eventually get into space, preferably to the Moon, asteroids, Mars, and beyond (a guy can dream, can't he?) but I'd be ecstatic even if I just made it to LEO. How can I accomplish my dream? How much math would be involved with this career? I struggle greatly with math but I'll do whatever it takes to succeed. I've never heard of a planetary science major, what were your majors? I'm not an expert but it seems like having planetary scientists on any mission to other worlds would be a good idea because of the skills and knowledge they possess. Is this true? Will it be possible for me to make it on a mission in this career? I'm really sorry about all the questions and the length of this post, I've been looking for someone to ask these things for a while so I was incredibly excited when I saw this AMA. Thank you for your time and thank you for what you do! -Shawn

these are some great questions! I'll try to answer them all: 1) there's a link up above to our live feed tonight. 2) I majored in physics (undergrad) and geophysics (grad). 3) space missions will need planetary scientists, yes, but that is not your only route to space! Think about all the expertise needed: pilots, doctors, engineers, and yes, scientists. There are lots of routes you can take to become a planetary scientist. I personally got here through seismology. Think about what aspects of other worlds excites you. The craters? The different atmospheres? Planets with rings, or storms, or oceans? What about Earth - Earth is a planet too! Do you like geology? Chemistry? Biology? All of these fields are relevant to planetary science. If you get a chance while you're in college, try to visit a conference. My two personal favorites are the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union (in San Francisco), and the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (in Houston). You will really get a good look at the massive cross-section of science out there, and also might even get the chance to talk to a former astronaut (especially at LPSC). Hope this helps, and good luck in your studies! -RCW

What is the most widespread myth about our solar system or what we have been taught in the past about space?

I tend not to pay much attention to myths, was there something specifically you had in mind? -RCW

Do you know of a website where I can go see in what location in the world and at what time the eclipse can be seen (best)?

this one is good too: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2014.html#LE2014Apr15T

yes, please this, or better yet provide a "dumb" version we can send to friends of a time list of when people should look at the sky, like so:

NYC look at the sky at 1:58AM!

LAX look at the sky at 10:55pm!

most people have no idea how to interpret the above linked chart

total eclipse will start at 2:06am eastern, with greatest eclipse at 2:45am eastern EDIT: forgot to account for DST, sorry! greatest eclipse at 3:45am eastern

I don't want to stay up that late to watch the lunar eclipse. Can you guys reschedule it for earlier in the evening please?

have your people call my people -RCW

What is an average day like performing your duties at Nasa?

an average day is pretty boring to the outside observer, my research is all data analysis, so I do a lot of computer coding. Depending on my current project, I have to sit in a lot of meetings or teleconferences. But I get to do some cool stuff sometimes! Like doing public outreach: NASA hosts web-chats, stuff like this AMA here on reddit, going to the Space and Rocket Center here in Huntsville to participate in events (touch a Moon rock!). I go to conferences and team meetings around the country to talk about my research and collaborate on projects. Right now I am working on an analysis of the shallow moonquakes that were recorded by the Apollo seismometers, and I am also on the science team for the upcoming InSight mission (Mars geophysical station) which will launch in 2016. -RCW

Thanks for the reply! When you say coding do you mean programming or classifying and identifying things?

programming. I use FORTRAN, MATLAB, and Mathematica. -RCW

I really didn't know people still did FORTRAN!

Oh my Fortran? Dabbled with Fortran back in the day at Atomics International, Canoga Park California.

FORTRAN first came out in 1957. I don't know if the good Dr. is pulling my leg or not. Lol

It's pretty amazing to think there are people still fluent in it, and organizations as big as NASA still using it.

She's working with Apollo data sets. The original programs were probably written in FORTRAN, and they never bothered to re-write a program in a newer language?

This is what I assumed. It really makes you think. I mean, if something as big as NASA is still using FORTRAN (Even if they are only using it for small aspects.) imagine how much room we have to improve! It's incredible.

more recent analyses I was involved in were done in C

not pulling your leg! The original code for processing the Apollo data was written in FORTRAN, so I had to learn it (as a grad student) just to get started, and then it sort of stuck. I do use Fortran90 though, does that make it better?? -RCW

I really enjoy working at NASA. On an average day, I work on several different projects, including lab work and mission planning. I work on geochronology - or how old a rock is - so I need to get samples, crack them open, and pop them in my mass spectrometer. We write proposals and papers, and review other peoples proposals and papers, and present them at conferences when we can to make sure we are doing the right science. For NASA, I sit of some committees that help plan NASA's new missions and goals, which I enjoy helping with. -BC

One of my highschool teachers once said that Hubble isn't powerful enough to see the objects left behind by the first moonwalk. I find this hard to believe due to how powerful Hubble is. So, can Hubble see the small objects on the lunar surface?

The issue with Hubble isn't resolving power - Hubble can't look at the Moon because it's too bright. It would saturate the camera -RCW

Why does it take on a reddish hue?

it is the same effect that causes the sky to look red at sunset. The light that is reaching the Moon from the Sun passes through the Earth's atmosphere at low angle and is scattered; red wavelengths are scattered least.

What is the difference between a "harvest moon" (an orange/red moon seen in the fall) and a blood moon? They look the same on google searches, but apparently "blood moon" is also some silly name for a full moon in October.

Various cultures have given names to each full Moon of the year - presumably related to their importance in planning for sowing, harvesting, animal migrations, etc. A harvest moon is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox, it doesn't generally have a color associated with it (except what you might see as it is rising or setting). The blood moon or hunter's moon is the full moon in october. Other names include flower moon and wolf moon, etc. -BC

Question from 9 year old Eva:

Does the lunar eclipse only happen during a full moon? If so, why?

Hi Eva! Yes, eclipses only happen during a full Moon, because the Sun, Earth, and Moon need to be all lined up in a row. If the Moon is not lined up with the Earth and Sun, it wouldn't look full. Don't forget to remind your parents to wake you up so you can catch a glimpse! -RCW

Is it possible that there is a planet exactly the same as ours that rotates at the same speed and distance on the other side of the sun. but we cant see it?

No, all the planets are in orbit around the sun, so nothing is ever permanently on the other side of the sun from us. -BC

I think you're missing his point! What if it had the same orbital period as our own planet? It would remain hidden from us as we moved, because it would move too, at the same rate.

oh, I see. Well, it's incredibly unlikely, but also we have sent spacecraft all over with different vantage points, so they would have been able to see it even if it was hidden from our point of view. -BC

Where do you think NASA would be in terms of technology if the government had continued the amount of funding that was provided in the 1960's and 70's? Thanks!

This is a difficult question (but one many what-if historians enjoy thinking about). The Nation's goals have changed since then, and NASA follows the will of the nation. We have developed a lot of new technologies related to the space shuttle, the International Space Station, and robotic science missions. But, if NASA had had more money, it's probably fair to say that more could have been developed. -BC

Do total lunar eclipses happen often? Are their partial lunar eclipses? How often do they happen in comparison to solar?

eclipses come in cycles. Yes, there are partial lunar eclipses, but during those the Moon doesn't appear red. There's another total lunar eclipse coming in October. This is a good site with info on when eclipses occur and which areas of the world can see them: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/OH/OH2014.html#LE2014Apr15T -RCW

This is probably a horrible question, but will there be satellite images of what it looks like from space? This was one of the first things that popped in my head when I heard of the eclipse.

Since Dr. Cohen works on the Mars Rovers, what does she think of the recent finding that the thought to be crater used to be a lake? Is there any major or relevant findings we can expect from this?

Thanks btw! In my line of work I get told I'm undervalued quite a bit, but I absolutely think you guys are some of the most undervalued workers in America. Not many people take the time to consider the discoveries you guys have made, and the huge impact you have on normal peoples every day lives, so thank you for what you do and for this AMA!

Not of this particular eclipse - the LADEE spacecraft will be powered down. But the Kaguya (SELENE) spacecraft took some amazing video of a lunar eclipse as seen from the Moon a few years ago: http://www.universetoday.com/25929/kaguya-captures-eclipse-from-the-moon/

Re: Gusev Crater That's cool, isn't it? The way the crater looks, with a gully coming into it, always suggested a lake. But it's covered with lava now. It's interesting that lake deposits look like they still survive. Spirit's results show that water probably was in different forms over the surface of Mars, under different conditions throughout its history. -BC

What is the most incredible thing about our moon that most people don't know about?

there are lots of neat things, it's hard to pick the most incredible one, but here's a nifty tidbit: the Moon is tidally locked to the Earth, which means that the same side always faces us. But thanks to slight orbital variations, the Moon experiences librations, meaning that the leading and trailing edges (and also the top and bottom edges) sometimes expose slightly different hemispheres of the Moon. So we can actually see about 57% of the Moon's surface over the course of about a month. Here's an animation that shows it better than I've described http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lunar_libration_with_phase2.gif -RCW

To me, the most interesting thing is that every crater you see on the Moon had a counterpart on the Earth at some point. We don't see those craters today because the Earth recycles its crust through plate tectonics, erosion, etc. So the Moon is the place to look if you want to see the cratering history of the Earth. Which is huge! -BC

THERE'S LOTS OF CLOUDS IN THE SKY WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?

Follow the web link above! There will be views from lots of telescopes. -BC

What time can I exspect to see this over North East Ohio?

total eclipse will start at 2:06am eastern, with greatest eclipse at 2:45am eastern EDIT: forgot to account for DST, sorry! greatest eclipse at 3:45am eastern

That's okay, I didn't really want to get up for work tomorrow anyway...

I remember as a kid, making my mom wake me up in the middle of the night to see an eclipse. She swears she did it but I have no memory of it! -RCW

It's a plot against having to wake up themselves at 2 in the morning.

"Of course I woke you up honey, but you were so tired you probably just forgot!"

SHENANIGANS!

she denies it :)

For Dr. Weber, how does earthquake activity on other planets compare to that here on Earth? Are our landers/rovers frequently equipped with seismographic equipment or is this something you're just now beginning work on?

Right now, the Moon is the only body besides Earth that we have seismic data for (from Apollo). Moonquakes are a lot different than earthquakes. The Moon has no active volcanoes or plate tectonics, so the seismic activity there is mostly all related either to impact on the surface, or solid body tides. We sent a seismometer to Mars on Viking, but because it was located on the lander body and not in direct contact with the ground, it only recorded wind. The good news is that we'll be sending a new seismometer to Mars on the InSight mission in 2016! I would love for every mission to have a seismometer, but because of the technological requirements (most importantly, that it can live on the surface for a long time), sending them to other planets is pretty tough. -RCW

If the Earth had two moons like Mars, What types of eclipses would we be able to witness?

The moons of Mars are much smaller than our Moon, even in relation to the diameter of the parent body. So the moons of Mars don't cover the whole disk of the sun (no solar eclipses from Mars). How the shadow of Mars covers Phobos and Deimos depends on their orbits - I don't know this offhand. -BC

Do you or anybody else you know at NASA play Kerbal Space Program?

I don't but I know tons of people who do! -BC

In an imaginary world where NASA had a much larger budget and you had carte blanche over it, what missions would you fund?

all of them? -RCW

If I'm not in group U3-U2 is it worth staying up to see it in all honesty? I'm in the UK so I'll be P1 and that's around 4am. So I'd like to know if it's going to be fairly noticeable or not. Thanks.

it'll be in penumbra (outer shadow) as the Moon is setting. So it would only just look slightly dimmer, possibly not noticeable, I'm guessing.

As I understand, tonight will begin the tetrad (four total lunar eclipses in a row) Exactly how rare is this? Will this have any effect on tides and or earthquake frequency?

The eclipse tetrad is dictated by orbital mechanics and happens every few years. There is no change to the orbital configuration of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, so there is no change to gravity, tides, or earthquakes. -BC

Would setting up a moon base significantly contribute to the advance of our technology, or are we already very much capable of such feat?

We have the majority of the technology now to set up a moon base - if you think of something like a space station on the Moon. But right now it would need to be resupplied from the Earth, like ISS is now. NASA is currently working on closed-loop life support systems that would lead to autonomous lunar bases and long trips in space. -BC

What about the moon being in the earth's shadow makes it appear red? Also, is it possible for earth to ever appear in transit across the sun from the surface of Mars? Like Venus can for us?

The Earth's shadow is bending the light from the sun, so we see the red part of the spectrum just like you'd see in early sunrise or late sunset. Someone said, it's like seeing all the sunrises and sunsets all at once. I'd have to double-check the orbits, but I bet you could see an Earth transit from Mars. I don't think any of our spacecraft have ever seen that happen, though we have seen Mars' moons transit the sun. -BC

What would the next steps be for scientists if we discovered life on another planet? Does the Mars Rover even have the technology onboard to check for life?

It's very difficult for us to positively identify life on another planet for many reasons - some reasons are cleaning all life off our own detectors, and another is that life may be different. But even if you just mean earth-like life (DNA), we had an experiment on Viking that did not discover any (to the limits of its detection ability) and of course we tested the Apollo rocks extensively and found none. We do keep looking though - life on other planets would surely teach us an enormous amout about both that planet and about our own life and evolution on the Earth. -BC

Is it true that the distance between the Earth and the Moon is increasing?

Yes, but VERY slowly. The interaction between the Earth and Moon causes torques to the Moon, which causes it to essentially "spend" its energy. The less energy it has, the farther it moves from the Earth. But it's a slow process - only about 1 cm a year. Nothing to worry about! -BC

What's your favorite planet ?

my personal favorite is Earth :) -RCW

Based on the fact I don't really understand what either of you do; what are you both most excited to discover in your lifetimes through your research?

Both of us are scientists - we conduct research into how the Moon and other planets are built and what they are like now. It's very exciting work to me because I get to understand other planets without even going there. I work like a geologist - but instead of mapping and studying earth rocks, I use rocks from other planets and study them in the same way. This winter I participated in finding new meteorites - which are pieces of rock from other worlds. It is a big thrill to discover a new meteorite and wonder where it came from! -BC

Forecast says it's gonna rain tonight. Hopefully, the sky clears up!

Any tips on viewing the lunar eclipse in this type of weather?

It'll be cloudy here too probably, but the web link at the top of the page will have views from many telescopes, hopefully at least one will be clear! -BC

Two questions, answer either.

1) How often does a blood moon like this occur so that the USA can see it?

2) Can we invite Pluto back to the planets? He's seemed a little distance lately.

Lunar eclipses occur every few years - it's not terribly uncommon. Whether we can see if from the US or not depends on the exact timing - see the top for links to eclipse times.

Re: Pluto: actually, Pluto is now the most important Kuiper Belt object - it's not lonely, it has hundreds of friends out there! We didn't know about the Kuiper Belt when Pluto was discovered, but it led us to the amazing new discovery about our solar system. We should be proud of Pluto :) -BC

rain and clouds are expected in my area tonight. Will I be able to see anything at all?

it's supposed to rain here too :( but you can find a live feed in the link up top of this page -RCW

Could you tell me if bowl moons are normal? I don't recall seeing vertical half moons anymore and wondered why.

How you see the Moon depends on the time of month, your location, and the time of night. Sometimes it will be a crescent near the new Moon, sometimes a vertical half moon whe the half moon is directly above you. Try looking for the moon every day for a month and you'll see how it changes with time. -BC

I find it fascinating that our moon is like no other moon in our solar system. It almost seems artificial with it's perfect size and the way it orbits the the earth. Is there anything you can tell us that most of the general public does not know of our moon?

it is an interesting coincidence, isn't it? It has a size and a distance that makes it look the same size as the sun. But it's just coincidence. Other planets have different moon sizes. Did you know that the Moon formed suring a giant collision as the solar system was forming? A "rogue planet" the size of Mars collided with the Earth. Both of them melted and some material that was thrown out cooled into the Moon as we see it now. -BC

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vacuums suck -RCW

For Barbara: are you investigating any alternative decay chains that you may be able to probe with LIBS? I understand, from your LPSC 2012 paper (EDIT: which I got to know about thanks to Emily Lakdawalla mentioning it in one of her blog posts) (haven't gotten around to reading this edition's yet) that one of the major draws for the K-Ar is that the daughter Ar, being gaseous, won't contribute to the Mass-Spec signal, allowing for greater SNR; but given the different abundances of elements on different planetary bodies - I'm guessing that some instrument that can be remotely reprogrammed to probe a different chain would be very cost effective.

Would the same LIBS instrument built for a lunar environment also be able to function in a Mars environment? In terms of abundances of K, Ar etc. (and not the engineering concerns of thermal management/power/mass etc.)?

Also, why can't a ChemCam do in-situ geo-chronology? Using a temporally gated sensor and pump-probe optics?

Btw, the abbreviation you chose for the instrument - KArLE means "Do it" in Hindi. Thought I'd let you know for whenever you need a pick-me-up at work :)

oh, thank you for the Hindi translation - that's awesome!

Radiometric dating pairs are rather limited for rocks - they have to be a naturally occuring pair, they have to have affinites such that they separate from each other during a geologic event, and they have to have half-lives that undergo only 1 to three or four halflives over the ages you are interested in, so there's enough to measure. Common systems are K-Ar, U-Pb, U-He, Rb-Sr, and Sm-Nd. All these have multiple isotopes, and you're only interested in the radioactive one, so you have to come up with a way to measure that. LIBS does not (yet) have the ability to measure isotopes or gases very well, well enough to make the parent-daughter measurement, although I know these are areas of active research. I chose the KArLE implementation because the components are already flight-proven. Other people are working on different approaches as well. Hopefully one will fly someday! -BC

What can a young physics major do to be apart of NASA outreach or funding or anything really?

How about applying for a NASA internship? -BC https://intern.nasa.gov/

How would you advice viewing in las Vegas area with all the light pollution?

The Moon is pretty bright, and should still be visible during the eclipse (just less bright, and red). Even with light pollution you should still be able to see it like usual. (Disclaimer: I am assuming you can see the Moon every other night - light pollution is bad but not THAT bad, right???)

Is there any reason to go back to the moon, either with humans or with rovers? Is there anything important to learn about our moon other than how it affects Earth?

the Moon is a great place to do fundamental science, especially questions concerning the early solar system. The Moon has recorded all of the events that occurred to it since formation, unlike the Earth, where weather and plate tectonics are constantly recycling the surface. Understanding how the Moon formed and evolved can teach us a lot about how other planets formed and evolved, including Earth.

Dr. Weber: What is biggest hurdle holding us back from exploring our solar system (besides money)?

I would say resources. We already have all the technologies we need to send instruments into deep space and land them in technologically challenging areas. So with unlimited money, we'd just need time and resources to get those missions launched! -RCW

Why or what drove you to pursue a career in astronomy?

I would classify my career under planetary science, not astronomy, but… I started graduate school in geophysics doing ocean-bottom seismology. I had grown up loving space and planets and getting really into sci-fi (Star Trek). So when as a first-year student I was given the opportunity to study the seismic data from the Apollo lunar missions, I knew that was the project for me.

How does the group feel about the possibility of extraterrestrial life?

From a scientific viewpoint, we don't have data one way or the other. So it's interesting to speculate, but right now that's all it is - speculation. Doesn't keep us from looking though! -BC

Hi Dr. Weber and Dr. Cohen, thanks for coming out and doing this AMA with us. I am going to be declaring my major soon in Astronomy, believe it or not. So I have a couple of questions about that. Do you have any tips/advice you would give someone aspiring to work for NASA? Also, are there any programs I could join that will help me along the way? Thank you again for taking time to answer our questions!

Terrific! I hope you enjoy it! My advice is to do well in all your calsses - astronomy and math and writing and everything- and hang in there. Science can be a difficult path, but if you love it it will help you through. If you do well in your undergraduate classes, you'll be able to go to a good graduate program and do fun research that will lead you further - whether to NASA or to another line of research. Good luck! -BC

How many total lunar eclipses are there supposed to be this year? And when?

check NASA's eclipse site! There is another total lunar eclipse coming on October 8th. http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html -RCW