Starwatchers seek insight into the "blood moon" in the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century

Star Watchers Across The Globe Searched for a An overview of a blood red moon on Friday The Earth's natural satellite has shifted into the shadow of our planet for the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century.

From the Cape of Good Hope in the Middle East and the Kremlin to Sydney Harbor, thousands of stars, hoping to see the moon that began to appear orange, brown or crimson when she moved into the Shadow of the earth.

The total eclipse will last 1 hour, 42 minutes and 57 seconds, although a partial eclipse precedes and follows, meaning according to NASA, the moon will spend a total of 3 hours and 54 minutes in the day. shadow of the Earth.

The most complete eclipse, at 20:22 GMT, will be visible from Europe, Russia, Africa, the Middle East , a large part of Asia and Australia though c

In the Middle East, the moon was rising above the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, while 39 in Kenya, it rose above the Marabou storks nesting in the trees of Nairobi.

On the banks of the Indian Ganges, the temples were closed before the eclipse. In Singapore, fans have awarded telescopes at Marina South Pier.

Hundreds of people in Australia paid to watch the eclipse of the Sydney Observatory before sunrise.

"Our event is complete, we have about 200 people," said Andrew Jacob, curator at the Sydney Observatory, located right next to the Harbor Bridge.

When the moon moves in the # 39, the conical shadow of the earth, it is going to be illuminated by the sun to be dark.A certain light, however, will always reach it because it is curved by the sun. Earth's atmosphere.

"It's what's called a moon of blood because the sunlight goes through the earth's atmosphere towards the moon and l? atmosphere of the earth turns. he blushes the same way that when the sun goes down, it turns red, "tells Andrew Fabian, professor of astronomy at the University of Cambridge

At the same time, Mars is traveling closer to Earth since 2003, so some observers can see what looks like a red-orange star – and that's it. Is actually the red planet.

"It's an unusual coincidence," said Robert Mbadey, deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society, who will attempt to monitor the sea eclipse Mediterranean.

For thousands of years, man has looked to the heavens for omens of misery, victory and joy. The Bible contains references to the moon turning blood and some ultra-Orthodox Jews consider the lunar eclipses disturbing and a cause of moral contemplation.

According to Hindu beliefs, celestial bodies such as the sun and the moon emit negative energy during an eclipse. The temples in India have been closed to minimize any disturbance.

Astronomers, however, said that there was no reason to worry. "There is no reason to believe that the moons of blood are predicting loss," Mbadey said. "This does not announce the apocalypse: seeing a lunar eclipse and Mars in the sky is something that people should enjoy rather than worry about."

The lunar eclipse will not be visible in North America or most of the Pacific. The next lunar eclipse of such length is due in 2123.