Blood Moon: Countdown to the longest eclipse of the century – 26/07/2018

In the afternoon of tomorrow, Friday, July 27, a single astronomical event will take place, since the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century will occur . Only half of the planet will be able to observe it directly and the other part will do it partially. By a refraction effect of light, the selenite satellite will stain its body with a scarlet hue . As a pin, Mars will also be particularly close to the Earth, so that it can be seen in the night sky. This will result in an incident c or astronomical rare .

Both Argentina and the rest of Latin America, will have an incomplete vision of this planetary alignment . In its various stages and as to justify the title of "longer of the century", the event will take 6 hours and 13 minutes although the scientific evaluation, which only considers the period in which the Moon crosses the lighter area of ​​the Earth's shadow, will be nearly 4 hours . Although the transcendent, that is, the whole phase will last 102 minutes . In the country, the period will last from 15h to 19h

From Buenos Aires, we can only see the culmination of the phenomenon, since the initial phase will occur when the moon does not Will not have pbaded our horizon yet. In addition, the sky will still be very clear since the Sun will hide just on the opposite side of the sky.

When this happens, after 18:07 there will be only 6 minutes of total eclipse, the central phase of the event, which will culminate at 18, 13 hours with the Moon only 1 degree above the horizon. Then he will follow the partial stage of the eclipse that will extend until 1945 and until 19:00 and during which the Moon will emerge from the cone Earth shadow.

Astronomers explain that the total eclipse of the moon occurs when the trajectory of the Moon, being in its complete phase, crosses that of the earth. Then our planet covers the sunlight, eclipsing the moon. However, the satellite will not disappear from the sky, but will present a reddish color, known as the "blood moon".

The full moon, which is repeated every 29 days and a half It occurs at times when our satellite is opposite to the Sun and thus illuminated completely from our point of view. As the orbit of the Moon is deflected at about 5 degrees from the Ecliptic every full moon is not submerged in the shadow of the Earth. The exact alignment, ie the total eclipse of the Moon, occurs only once a year on average

During the eclipse, the moon will acquire a coppery red hue, which is worth the nickname of Luna of sangre. The explanation is that the atmosphere of the Earth, which extends about 80 kilometers beyond the diameter of our planet, acts as a lens that diverts sunlight and filters effectively its blue components, so that only the red light that will be reflected by the satellite pbades.

The astronomical spectacle can be observed with the naked eye, without any danger. But binoculars, lenses and telescopes allow you to enjoy them even more. If you are located in an elevated area, you will also have a better perspective.

Para Enjoy this astronomical event in the company of other enthusiasts, the Galileo Galilei Planetarium has organized a special event in the Park of Memory so that participants can observe the horizon without obstacles and better appreciate this eclipse.

The case of Mars is also striking. The red planet will appear in the sky larger and lighter than normal and will be located about 7 degrees south of the Moon at the same time of its opposition. Since July 27 will be in opposition – aligned with the Sun and the Earth, leaving our planet in the middle – and only a few at 58 million kilometers from Earth. A proximity that occurs only every 15 years. To see him again so closely, it will be necessary to wait until 2035.