Not all observing is difficult and requires lots of specialized, high-priced equipment. Case in point: Tuesday morning, August 28, North America will experience another total eclipse of the Moon. While West Coast and Hawaiian observers have the best seats, the rest of us will at least see the first half of the event, as the Moon slides into the darkest part of Earth's shadow.
It's true some amateur astronomers like to push the limits, observing faint, deep-sky targets barely discernible through their telescopes at the darkest sites. But all astronomers enjoy grand, easy-to-see celestial events. And a lunar eclipse is at the top of the "easy-to-see" list whether you live in the Montana range or in a New York City apartment.
Furthermore, you don't need anything to view this event. If, however, you plan to watch the whole eclipse, a blanket you can lie on or a reclining chair will help you avoid neck strain.
Best of all, a lunar eclipse is safe to look at. Stare at the whole 3.5-hour event with just your eyes, through binoculars, or through a telescope. No problem! All you're seeing is reflected sunlight. It's like looking at an object on Earth during the day. Actually, it's like looking at an incredibly dark object in daytime — the Moon reflects only 7 percent of the sunlight falling on it.
So what should a casual observer look for during a lunar eclipse? One thing — color. As the Moon passes through Earth's shadow, less and less sunlight falls on its surface, and the part in the shadow appears black. With the onset of totality, however, the Moon turns red (or some other color).
The color comes from Earth's atmosphere. During an eclipse it acts like a lens, bending some sunlight into Earth's shadow. By the time the light leaves our atmosphere on its way to the darkened Moon, most of the blue light has been scattered out. (This is why a clear daytime sky is blue — blue light scatters more easily than red light.) The light that falls on an eclipsed Moon, therefore, starts with the same reddish color we see during sunsets here on Earth.
Not every eclipse is crimson red, though. Sometimes, our atmosphere is cleaner, with fewer particles of smoke or dust floating through it. At other times, it's full of dirt. After the June 15, 1991, eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines, airborne dust caused vivid sunset colors worldwide. Total lunar eclipses following the eruption were dark, with the Moon nearly disappearing from view. So, during totality, the Moon can appear orange, brown, golden, yellow, or all possible shades of red.
Although you don't need equipment to enjoy the eclipse, most observers detect the Moon's color — and subtle color differences — better when viewing through binoculars. From my experience, the more light-polluted your observing site, the more binoculars help.