Several celestial events on Friday night are expected to put on a show for stargazers in the night skies. When the full snow moon rises Friday, its surface will appear darker than usual because it will be passing through the outer edge of the Earth’s shadow. The darkening of the moon is called a penumbral lunar eclipse. Unlike total and partial eclipses, which completely darken the moon or portions of it, penumbral eclipses appear as a shadow on the moon’s surface. In addition to the eclipse, two planets — Venus and Mars — will be easily visible with the naked eye, as well as with telescopes and binoculars. Comet 45P also will make its closest pass to earth on Saturday night, coming within 7.4 million miles from Earth. The comet will be visible in the morning sky to the left of the moon and pass through the constellations Boötes and Corona Borealis.
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