Early in the morning on Dec. 10, a total lunar eclipse will be visible across the United States, but perhaps NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has the best seat of all.
The eclipse begins at 11:33 UT, or 6:33 a.m. EST; but for East Coast viewers, the moon will only just start to enter Earth's shadow, so the slight dimming of the moon will not be extraordinarily noticeable.
However, LRO orbits 31 miles above the moon’s surface, so it is taking this opportunity to study how the surface of the moon changes temperature as it loses sunlight. Depending upon how quickly the temperature changes, scientists can determine the moon’s soil composition.
