Cloud could block rare Blood Moon lunar eclipse
- by Michele Ross
- in Sci-tech
- — Jul 27, 2018
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Skygazers are set for a rare treat today as the longest "blood moon" eclipse of this century will occur in a shortwhile tonight. It won't be visible in the US, but can be seen in parts of Africa, the Middle East, Europe, South America, Australia and Asia - depending on the weather.
It will be at opposition, which means that it's at the opposite side of the Sun to the Earth. The vast majority of people on the Earth will be able to see this stellar show, which co-incides with Mars' closest approach to the Earth in over a decade.
The best views will be in Africa and Asia, but folks in Europe, South America and Australia will still get partial views. From Whanganui to Wellington there is just a slim chance of glimpsing the totally-eclipsed Moon as the Sun peeks above the horizon. The subsequent partial eclipse will end at 3.49 am, and the moon will move out of the Earth's penumbral shadow by 4.58 am on Saturday. And of course, even those not in the path of the lunar eclipse can enjoy the full moon. Additionally, Javascript Lunar Eclipse Explorer (https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/JLEX/JLEX-NA.html) can compute the local circumstances for every lunar eclipse visible from a city for any century from -1999 to 3000.
The rare event occurs when the Earth appears in a straight line between the Moon and the Sun. This is why the astronomical event is often called a "blood moon".
The Executive Director of Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Center shared details about "Blood Moon" and the special arrangements made the Centre (situated in Guindy) for people to witness the eclipse. Typically, the moon reflects the sun's light, but during an eclipse, the moon's orbit takes the light through the Earth's shadow.
So where can you see the total lunar eclipse? Since the moon crosses the earth's shadow, along the central region, it takes a longer time to cross it. The planetarium has organised a "Moon Carnival" for people in the national capital to watch the eclipse, PTI reported.
Unlike a solar eclipse, solar eclipses are safe to view with the naked eye.
Mars is brighter than it has been in years.
Neil Mahrer, from Jersey Astronomy Club, said: 'What we are doing is taking some telescopes and binoculars to the south-east coast as it will not be that visible from our usual place at Les Creux, ' he said. The Sun, the moon and Venus will be the only (natural) objects in the sky brighter than Mars. It will also be almost three times brighter than Sirius - the brightest star in the night sky.
