Eclipse of a rare Blue Moon! An early morning Stone Mountain Skygazing Adventure

EVENT UPDATE, posted by Charlie Mon Jan 29th:  Tomorrow's Weather is still looking great for our viewing the very rare "eclipsing-while-setting Blue Moon"!  The forecast for Stone Mtn expects cloud-free clear skies and not much wind.  The only downside is that it will be a bit colder than average for late Jan - in the high 20s between 6:00 and 7:35 AM during the eclipse - but we can easily stay toasty warm if we bundle up in 2 or 3 outer layers + warm cap, scarf , wool-blend socks, gloves, etc.
  We intend to hike together via a route (on or alongside the "Walk-Up Trail") that has an unobstructed view of the darkening moon, which will be sinking just above the western horizon until it sets at ~7:34 AM - same time as sunrise on the opposite side of the mountain.
  Optional simultaneous Sunrise + Moonset viewing challenge":  Mark and several others have expressed an interest in finding a spot where we can hopefully observe the darkening moon setting (at 7:34 on the WNW horizon) and just by facing the opposite direction see the sun rising at the same moment (in the ESE).  We suspect that this is indeed possible in a few places at or near the summit even with the sprawling concession building, tram towers, etc. that are there.
  Everyone is welcome to hike at your own pace and to observing spots on the mountain that suit you personally - no need to hike all the way up to the summit and back if you prefer!  You're  welcome to split from our main group at any time, provided you let us know that you intend to do so.  We'll be glad to  assist you with your personal plans & needs.  If you need to head to work, etc. by our advertised 7:45 end of the event you should probably not try for the "sunrise + moonset."
  After the main event, if there's enough interest we may offer an optional extra guided hike to explore more of the beautiful mountain and Park.  See more Details below.

IN a NUTSHELL:  Hope you can join us for this "once-in-a blue-moon" skygazing experience in the early morning hours of Jan 31st, including an adventurous but relatively easy predawn hike at Stone Mountain Park.  The cosmos has a rare treat in store for most of the USA that morning:  a Lunar Eclipse that will temporarily darken one of the biggest and brightest full moons of the year!  Apparently this will be the first time since Mar 31, 1866 - almost 152 years ago - that a total lunar eclipse will coincide with and darken a "Blue Moon" - i.e. the 2nd full moon in the same calendar month.

THE TIME-LAPSE PHOTOS above show the phases of a total lunar eclipse over about 3 hours as the Earth's shadow sweeps across the face of the full moon.  Duriing totality the Sun, Earth and moon are so well aligned that the Earth, for about an hour, prevents all direct rays of sunlight from reaching the moon.  Click here (and then also on the "Play tirangle") for a time-lapse video of the darkening moon's expected appearance here in Atlanta during the hour and a half before it sets:  https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/atlanta 

MORE EVENT DETAILS:  We'll gather a few minutes before 6:00 AM at the Stone Mountain Park's "Walk-Up" Trailhead.  (This is the same spot where we meet for most other AOC events in the Park - by the stone restroom building that's just beyond the big Confederate Hall parking lot.  See Directions, Park Entry advice & GPS tips below).
   We'll likely notice a change in the brightness of the full moon soon after we arrive, and can expect to see a continual darkening until it sets in the west-northwest over Atlanta's skyline at ~7:34 AM - about the same time as sunrise occurs on the opposite ESE side the mountain.  (During these "penumbral and partial phases of the eclipse" the morning twilight will gradually brighten the sky and the rocky terrain around us.  See "Timetable" below and refer to the rightmost 3 photos above.)  We'll have binoculars on hand to share and may also bring a telescope.
  The plan for our main hiking group is to arrive back at the Confederate Hall parking lot by about 7:45 AM.  Feel free to "split" early if you like at any time, but please let us know when you do so - it will be easy to direct you back to our meetup spot.

MORE about LUNAR ECLIPSES: Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are safe to view without any special eye protection.  As mentioned above, during a lunar eclipse the earth's shadow partially or completely blocks direct sunlight from illuminating the moon.  This can only happen when the moon is full and therefore is in almost perfect alignment with the Earth and sun.  Each lunar eclipse may be viewed almost equally well from virtually any place that is on the "night" side of the Earth during the eclipse and has relatively cloud-free skies - unlike a solar eclipse which has only a very narrow (daytime) "path of totality" along the Earth's surface. Most lunar eclipses last about 3 hours as the moon orbits through the earth's large shadow.  The middle "totality" phase of a lunar eclipse can last an hour or more vis-a-vis about 7 minutes max totality for solar eclipses due to the much smaller shadow the moon casts on the earth.

PHASE TIMETABLE for JAN 31 ECLIPSE (in Eastern Standard Time -  EST):
5:51 AM: 1st Penumbral phase begins as the Earth begins to block some rays of the Sun from reaching the full Moon.
6:48 AM: 1st Partial phase begins as Earth's darkest shadow (the "umbra") causes a noticeable crescent-shaped shadow to appear and grow larger on the upper left side of the Moon.  Here in Atlanta the moon will set at 7:34 AM (in the WNW at the same time the sun is rising in the ESE) - a few minutes before full "Totality" is reached.
  The remaining phases below will be visible only from the US midwest or further westward:
_________________________________________________________________

7:52 AM EST: Total Eclipse begins (visible as far west as China & Australia) as the Earth's umbra blocks all direct sunlight from reaching the Moon. At totality the Moon will likely appear reddish due to refraction of sunlight through the Earth's atmosphere.
8:30 AM EST: Mid-Eclipse: The moment of "max totality"when the Moon passes through the center of the Earth's umbra.
9:08 AM EST: Total Eclipse ends as some direct rays begin to brighten the upper left side of the moon.
10:11 AM EST: 2nd Partial phase ends as the Earth's dark umbra disappears from the lower right side of the Moon.
11:08 AM EST: 2nd Penumbral phase ends (and Eclipse is entirely over) when Earth's penumbral shadow no longer blocks any rays of sunlight from reaching the Moon.

FOR MORE LUNAR ECLIPSE INFO + VIDEO CLIPS, ETC. click these links:
http://www.stargazersonline.org/episodes/1538.html
http://www.space.com/15689-lunar-eclipses.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_2018_lunar_eclipse

FOR COLOR TRAIL MAPS of STONE MOUNTAIN PARK'S TRAILS click this link:  http://www.stonemountainpark.com/-/media/Files/HFE/SMP_COM/Maps/Trails/Stone-Mountain-Park-Hiking-Trails.ashx

FROM the "SPAGHETTI JCN" I-285/ I-85 INTERCHANGE in NE METRO ATLANTA to STONE MTN "WALKUP TRAILHEAD" behind CONFEDERATE HALL:   (For a zoomable color MAP and satellite view of our precise meetup spot and its vicinity click on the square blue & green "Event Location" near the top of this article.)

1. From "Spaghetti Junction" take "I-285 East" (actually southward - toward “Augusta”) about 4.7 miles.
2. Take I-285 Exit #39B (bearing Right off I-285 in a clockwise loop). Merge onto Stone Mountain Pkwy/ US-78 East (toward Snellville/Athens), and go about 5.9 miles.
3. Get off the Parkway toward your right at Exit #5 (onto the Memorial Drive/Stone Mountain Bypass). Go only about 0.6 mile and bear Right again at your first opportunity up the E. Ponce de Leon Ave. access ramp.
4. At the end of the ramp turn Left onto E. Ponce de Leon Avenue and go 0.5 mile to the first traffic light (on the north side of Stone Mtn Village).
5. Turn Left at the traffic light onto James B. Rivers Memorial Drive (avoiding the sharper left onto “Silver Hill Rd”) and drive (eastward) about 0.5 mile to the West Entrance Gate (open daily from 5AM till midnight),  Present your annual Parking Pass to the attendant if you have one - otherwise pay the $15 daily parking fee (or consider parking for free in the nearby Village and entering on foot or bike - see notes below).
6.  After entering via the West Gate take an immediate Right onto Robert E. Lee Blvd.
7.  Go just 0.1 mile - just beyond Confederate Hall - and turn Left  into the large parking lot.
8.  Our meetup spot is the "Walkup Trailhead" - the concrete-paved "patio" beside the stone restroom building that adjoins the far side of the parking lot .

LAT/LON DESTINATION ADDRESS of the Stone Mountain Park "Walkup Trailhead" spot where we'll meet: (In lieu of a verbal street address, you GPS or Google.com/maps users may wish to augment the above verbal directions by entering these concise coordinates as your destination, being sure to include the comma and minus sign.)
  33.8107, -84.1617

FREE PARKING is available in nearby Stone Mtn Village, and entrance into the Park is always free for pedestrians and cyclists.  If you don't have a valid annual Parking Pass consider parking in the Village and walking the extra 5 minutes or so (via the above-discussed West Park entrance gate) to our meetup spot.  As of Jan 2018 the Stone Mtn Park entrance gates charges $40 per vehicle per year for their Annual Parking Pass and $15 per vehicle for Single-Day Parking.  For a Map and Text about the FREE village parking click:  http://www.mapmyrun.com/us/stone-mountain-ga/free-parking-stone-mountain-route-1809302