Chandra Grahan | Lunar eclipse July 2018: deep red blood moon of July 27 at the "longest lunar eclipse of the century", say experts

Come Friday and the world is ready to witness the spectacle of the rarest of rare varieties: the longest solar eclipse of the 21st century. On July 27, the earth, the moon and the sun will come into line in a perfect line, which will cause the phenomenon.

The moon will cross the center of the Earth 's shadow, giving birth to what is called the Red Blood Moon.

During a total lunar eclipse, the disc of the moon can become bright orange, blood red (hence the term "blood moon") or even very dark gray, depending on the part of the shadow from the Earth that it pbades through.

"This time, the moon would cross the center of the Earth's shadow, making it the first central lunar eclipse after the June 2011 one," said BG Sidharth, director of the Science Center BM Birla in Hyderabad. PTI agency.

The statement added that "this occurs at a time when the moon is at its greatest distance from the earth and so it will be the longest total lunar eclipse of this century."

Brad Tucker, a researcher at the School of Astronomical and Astrophysical Research at the Australian National University, explains why we do not get a lunar eclipse at every lunar cycle.

"The moon is not always perfectly aligned with the sun and the earth, which is why we do not get lunar eclipse at every lunar cycle. You will see the sunrise and the sunset of the Earth will illuminate the surface of the Moon – more than 350,000 kilometers If you were on the Moon, you would see a total solar eclipse because the Earth would block the Sun, "said Tucker, reported 39 ANI news agency citing CNN.

BM Birla Science Center said that the eclipse itself would begin shortly before midnight around 11:15 pm French time. (The Penumbral eclipse starts at 22:44:47 in Hyderabad)

"This is what is called first contact when the partial lunar eclipse begins," said the center of Hyderabad.

But on July 27 late at night, the Full Moon would be close to its climax, the farthest point of Earth in its orbit around the Earth, and it would be the smallest full moon in the world. year.

"This smaller, slower full moon takes longer to cross the Earth's shadow than a full moon that is closer to Earth and moves faster into orbit. Why a full moon at or near the lunar climax adds duration to a total lunar eclipse, "said Debiprosad Duari, a director, at the MP Birla Institute of Basic Research, MP Birla Planetarium, at PTI.

After that, the moon will penetrate deeper and deeper into the Earth's shadow. The bulk of the lunar eclipse occurs at 51 minutes 44 seconds past midnight (IST), he added.

Then, slowly, the eclipse will begin to diminish and finally at around 3.58 pm on July 28, the eclipse would be in the partial phase for an hour and nine minutes, said BM Birla Science Center .

The eclipse will be visible from countries in Africa, Central Asia, South America, Europe, and Australia. However, the Indians might not be lucky because of the ongoing monsoon season in the country that could make the moon to be seen.

"It was widely known as Super Blue Blood Moon because it was a so-called supermoon, when a moon appears extra large and bright being the closest to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, "said Duari, who also called the year 2018 as" a year of lunar eclipses ".

"The next total lunar eclipse of January 21, 2019 will only last an hour and two minutes as it will pbad north of the center of the shadow," added Duari.
"By ending all apprehensions about the risks badociated with viewing the eclipse to the naked eye, Duari said," No special filter is needed to protect our eyes like those used to observe solar eclipses. the eclipse, although a good pair of binoculars will enhance the experience. "