Longest lunar eclipse: Red planet and 'blood moon' pair up to dazzle skygazers
- By Web Desk -
- Jul 27, 2018
The day skygazers were waiting for is finally here! Mars is about to make its closest approach to Earth in decade and a half—just as the full moon blushes red in the longest “blood moon” eclipse of the century.
The eclipse will occur on the night of July 27 (today) into the early hours of July 28. According to EarthSky, it will be the longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century. “The total phase of the eclipse – called the totality – spans 1 hour 42 minutes and 57 seconds,” said EarthSky’s Bruce McClure.
Viewers will need no protective eye gear to observe the spectacle — unlike when watching solar eclipse.
“All you have to do is… go outside!” the Royal Astronomical Society in London advises.
For about half the world, the moon will be partly or fully in Earth’s shadow for six hours and 14 minutes in all.
The period of complete eclipse — known as “totality”, when the moon appears darkest — will last from 1930 to 2113 GMT.
“Totality will last for 103 minutes, making it the longest eclipse of the 21st century!” the Royal Astronomical Society said.
During a total eclipse, sunlight shining through Earth’s dusty atmosphere is bent, or refracted, toward the red part of the spectrum as it is cast onto the moon’s surface. As a result, expect to see the lunar disk go from a dark gray color when the eclipse starts to a reddish-orange color during totality.
The best views will be in Africa and Asia, but folks in Europe, South America and Australia will still get partial views. But, North America is the only continent on Earth where it won’t be visible.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon and the sun are on exact opposite sides of Earth, according to NASA. When this happens, Earth blocks the sunlight that normally reaches the moon. Instead of that sunlight hitting the moon’s surface, Earth’s shadow falls on it.
Although the moon is in Earth’s shadow, some sunlight still reaches the moon. The sunlight passes through Earth’s atmosphere, which causes Earth’s atmosphere to filter out most of the blue light.