Lunar Eclipse Google Doodle Highlights Moon Event

Google Showcases Total Lunar Eclipse

Even if you're not out moongazing, Google's doodle in recognition of Wednesday's total lunar eclipse will let you in on the fun.

Tonight will be the first total lunar eclipse in 2011, and though it's not visible in North America, Google has provided an animation on their homepage which tracks the eclipse as it happens. The eclipse begins at 1:24 PM EDT, and at 3:22 PM, the shadow of the Earth will completely cover the moon for 100 minutes.

"It just sort of happened very naturally," Google engineer Anne Espiritu told ABC News. "For us, it sort of ties in with our love of geekiness and our fascination with the universe."

The picture is updated every two minutes, and will change to reflect the eclipse itself. A slider alongside the bottom of the Doodle will let you start at the beginning so that you can see the progress of the eclipse. Clicking on the logo will take users to a list of search results, as well as a special logo that tracks the eclipse.

"Total lunar eclipse in progress," reads Google's alert, noting when the "maximum" will take place and from where the eclipse is visible (See it below).

The actual eclipse can be seen live on Google's YouTube channel, or with the Sky layer in Google Earth.

Check out the Google Doodle below:

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