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The longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century made our satellite blush on Friday, while the planet Mars, almost as close to Earth as possible, was full of brilliance: a conjunction of phenomena that delighted amateur astronomers.
The eclipse, which corresponds to the moment when the Moon plunges into the shadow of the Earth, was visible, partially or totally, in one half of the world (notably the eastern hemisphere). It could be observed from Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia.
The complete phenomenon (half-light included, imperceptible to the naked eye) started at 17:14 GMT (19:14 Paris time) and ended at 23:28 GMT (01:28 Paris time)
The real show started at 18:24 GMT (20:24 French time). The most interesting moment of the eclipse, when the Moon was completely in the shadow cone projected by the Earth, took place at 19H30 GMT (21h30 French time) and ended at 21h13 GMT (23h13 French time) .
This so-called "totality" phase lasted 1 hour 43 minutes (103 minutes), the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century.
"Historic" in Kenya
"
It's so interesting to see how red the moon is, as if it were covered with blood
Exclaimed Marion Rotich, a mother, as she was observing the phenomenon with her two daughters in Naivasha, southern Kenya
Hesborn Mwangi, Matatu driver (minibus), was equally enthusiastic: "
It's historic for me, I never found the time to look at something like that, but today I found myself there while I was laying pbadengers
. "
Near Lake Magadi, an isolated region far from the light pollution of cities 100 km southwest of Nairobi, a couple, Susan Murabana and Daniel Chu Owen had installed his telescope so that the inhabitants of the neighborhood could admire the eclipse.
"
Mars, Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury: that's what I would really like to see
», Says 39-year-old Daniel Chu Owen, trying to spot the position of the planets through an application on his mobile phone.
We have already done this on the occasion of the solar eclipse in 2016
Says Susan Murabana, who is the same age as her husband. Some 300 members of the local community, mostly Masai, had come to use their telescopes. "
It's good to give such an opportunity to people like these
At the same time in Tunis, more than 2000 people had gathered at the Capital City of Sciences to admire the eclipse.
Amazed by the color change of the satellite, men, women and especially Children with binoculars waited their turn to look at the moon through the telescopes. Others filmed, portable by hand.
"
I hope this eclipse will bring us happiness and tranquility
", Hoped Karima, 46, binoculars in hand.
Disappointment and clouds
The people of Dorset County, in southwestern England, were disappointed by the thick clouds that disrupted the show, as in much of Europe.
In a small County seaside resort, West Bay, observers found themselves on beaches and cliffs, hoping for a clearing of the sky, without success.
"
This is disappointing
"Said Tish Adams, 67. "
I took some pictures but there was nothing but a little pink trail in the sky. It would have been so good to see her
For a lunar eclipse to occur, there must be an almost perfect alignment of the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon. Our planet, lying between our star and the Moon, then projects its shadow on its natural satellite.
The moon, full, returns gradually in the darkness, then in the shade to be totally in the shade , before gradually emerging
This so-called "totality" phase was 1 hour 43 minutes (103 minutes), the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century.
This is the second eclipse Moon total 2018, the first one taking place on January 31.
The other star of the night was Mars, which is only 57.6 million kilometers from the Earth. With the naked eye, you can see a bright spot while with a telescope or a telescope, it is possible to observe it in detail.
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