The longest eclipse of the century this weekend



[ad_1]

Stargazers will have a unique lunar eclipse this weekend, but you'll have to get up early.

Early Saturday morning, the night sky will present a rare lunar eclipse of blood moon and it will be the longest event of its kind in about a century. Even better, Australians are expected to be among those who have the best view of the slow astronomical event.

The moon will be low on our horizon when it begins to darken and it will lie completely immersed in a dull atmosphere. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves between the sun and the moon, completely blocking the direct sunlight from reaching the moon, giving the moon an orange / red hue that earns it the nickname of 39, a "moon of blood".

But why does the moon turn red?

Instead of becoming dark, the way sunlight refracts around the Earth gives the moon a red color as a part of the sun's light. scattered in a way that gently illuminates the moon behind.

However the brightness of the red color depends on the dirt of the atmosphere due to volcanic eruptions – and experts do not believe that this particular blood moon will display a strong red. 19659003] However, that's our 43-minute eclipse duration is only four minutes from the maximum possible length, according to NASA. And there will not be any visible from Australia until 2021. So if you like astronomy, it's definitely worth getting up.

The event will begin at 3:15 am (AEST) on Saturday, July 28th.

Everywhere in Australia, everyone will see the moon enter the Earth 's shadow at the same time, but those in the west of Australia will be the only ones able to observe the moon. full eclipse. 19659003] Lunar eclipses generally last much longer than their solar counterparts. The shadow worn by the moon is much smaller than that produced by our own planet.

The result is usually that a solar eclipse is only seen by a relative who falls under the masking orb of the moon. But the nocturnal transformation of the moon into a bloody red globe can be seen by anyone on Earth when it's dark.

On Saturday morning, the moon will be at its apex – the furthest point from its orbit. Earth. This means that it will traverse the space at a place where the cone of the Earth's shadow is wider, making the eclipse longer.

[ad_2]
Source link